ENEMIES
by Sonnet Lacewing
Summary: In a time when Tortall is already suffering plots from Immortals, unseen enemies prepare to destroy Tortall from the inside out. Who are enemies and who are friends? Sequel to Mitigating Circumstances COMPLETE Foreshadows Daine & Numair
1. Chapter 1 Spidrens and a Stranger

**Disclaimer: This is based on the characters and places invented by Tamora Pierce. I'm using them to my own ends.**

_A/N: Here it is, the sequel to "Mitigating Circumstances". This takes place in December between EM and ROTG._

_**ENEMIES**_

_**Chapter One – Spidrens and a Stranger**_

Onua and Daine stood back to back, quiver to quiver, in the middle of the fray. Onua could hear each pull and release of Daine's long bow. They made a strange pounding rhythm, offbeat to the sounds of her own crossbow. The cries, curses and battle sounds had melted away and all that remained was the internal focus as she fired bolt after bolt. She saw the flashes of the sword belonging to the king's champion, Alanna. Occasionally, she became aware of Buri's presence as she came through swinging her battle axe. It was a simple thing – when surrounded by Spidren's you kept your mind on fighting for your life.

Suddenly an owl swooped down from above next to the two women and flew off in a mad pace toward the west. "Onua, roll!" she heard Daine shout and felt a hand grab her collar and pull her over. A huge spidren dropped right on top of where the two women had been standing. It had most likely been hiding in the trees above and Onua knew she would be dead if not for the owl's warning and Daine's quick hands. In the close quarters, the bows were now pretty useless and the thing seemed to be right on top of them when the air filled with purple fire which crept into the monster's mouth and eyes until it was completely smothered. It crumpled and lay twitching in the night.

Adrenaline pushed her to her feet again and she brought her crossbow up in time to loose a bolt into a spidren that had grabbed Buri with its long, hairy legs. She felt, rather than heard Daine's last shot. It was close to her ear, but right on target as it dropped a monster that would have caught Onua unaware. And then it was over. The four women were still standing and the fourteen immortal beasts were mere carcasses in the night.

Even dead they were still frightening. They looked like man sized spiders from the back. That would be terrifying enough. But spidrens had human heads and necks and the long, sharp teeth of a carnivore. Their webbing melted away and the man, whose screams had brought them into this clearing, was freed at last.

Onua took a sharp intake of breath. They were taking replacement ponies to the 7th rider unit. That unit had run into their own problems with immortals and lost most of their ponies and two of their riders. That, in itself, was a painful reality. Onua knew all of the riders and considered most to be her friends. Also, she had cared for their ponies personally and had picked them out from the fair in Cria' two years ago. As Horsemistress, replacing mounts for riders in the field was one of her duties. Onua's assistant, Daine, had offered to come along even though Onua had told her she didn't have to. Alanna was carrying some kind of private message from the king to a King's Own unit that would meet them in two days. She had traveled with them until it was time to rendezvous. Buri, was going to stay with the 7th rider unit until March since they were short in number. If this trip brought any more hazards like the one they had just faced, Onua wasn't sure how she and Daine would be getting back to Corus safely after the other two women left them.

Onua ran a hand over her head, raking fingers through her dark hair. She was dreading the thought of dealing with spidren carcasses as she watched Alanna kneel to examine the man lying there. He was about six feet tall, and wore a black robe which looked to her a great deal like the black robe her friend Numair wore. There were only seven black-robe mages in the world. Could this man actually be another? And if so, how had he come to be entrapped without putting up a fight?

"You're going to be all right," she heard Alanna tell the man. "I have healing magic and I'm going to tend to your wounds. Lie still."

The man nodded and groaned a thank you. His voice was hoarse. Onua wasn't sure if he had been yelling for help for long or if he had heard them. They had just put up camp before his cries for help had summoned them. It was nearly winter and nightfall came early. They had ridden past dusk to reach this location.

The purple glow of Alanna's magic filled the clearing. When she was done, she helped the man stand. He looked so tired. "Thank the Gods for you. I have never seen women who could fight, let alone the way you four did. I am humbled." He bowed. "I am Cearl de Romondo and I am in your debt."

"Alanna of Pirate's Cove and Olau, Champion to King Jonathon of Conte'," Alanna introduced herself. "That is Buriram Tourakem, Commander of the Queen's Riders, Onua Chamtong, Horsemistress for the Queen's Riders, and Veralidaine Sarrasri, Assistant Horsemistress and wildmage." Alanna pointed to each person in the party and he bowed in turn until she got to the part of "wildmage" and his jaw dropped.

"Ms. Sarrasri, you are part of the reason I'm in this country," he said. "A former teacher of mine, Lindhall Reed, wrote and told me of you. I am bound for the City of the Gods to meet with him and Master Numair Salmalin to help with the barrier. But I was most intrigued by news of you and hoped to convince your teacher to introduce us." He had that look that Onua had seen on Numair's face many times when he was intrigued by some new concept or experiment.

"You are a mage then? How did you get caught like this?" Buri asked pointedly.

The man blushed. "I stopped to camp. Got absorbed in a book and was caught unaware. I blew a couple of them up, but never having dealt with Spidren's before I used my gift foolishly and drained myself."

"He is pretty dry," Alanna confirmed.

"Well, you're unsafe by yourself then," Onua stated matter-of-factly. "Why don't you join our camp?"

He smiled warmly. "I would be most grateful." He bowed again. This time Onua noticed that his hair was stuck to his head with something sticky.

"In case you didn't already know, there is a hot spring hidden behind the trees. You can wash up first."

He smiled even brighter, dimples creasing each cheek. Onua thought he was probably handsome under all the dirt.

By the time Cearl emerged from his wash, Onua and Daine were sitting by a crackling fire. Alanna and Buri had taken hunting duty and returned with two sage hens. Onua and Daine had looked after the ponies and dug the latrine. Onua's dog, Tahoi was laying beside her watching the flames shoot up.

"We're quite lucky to not be traveling in snow," Onua said to Daine.

"I know. After that blizzard in mid-November, I was sure this was going to be an awful trip," Daine answered.

"But I'm still not looking forward to the chill," Alanna added as she walked toward the fire. Daine took the sage hens from Alanna. It was her turn to cook. "I assume sage hens are all right?" Alanna sat down next to the fire. Buri grabbed a saddle bag from her things and joined them.

"They are just wild chickens," Daine answered happily. Daine's diet had become very restrictive in recent months due to her own ability to shapeshift into various animals and the subsequent sympathy she felt for them. She had mostly eliminated game from her diet and stuck to chicken, fish and some domesticated animals. Daine pulled a sack of rice from a pack and some dried fruit and began to prepare the meal.

"May I join you at your fire?" Cearl asked politely. The women looked up at him and four jaws dropped open. He was quite handsome but that wasn't why they were staring. This man could easily be Daine's father. His hair was curly and a similar shade of chestnut. He had fair skin with a smattering of freckles on his nose and a solidly stubborn chin. He had obviously shaved as well as washing.

"Please," Onua answered and made room for him beside her. When he sat down, she noticed his eyes were gray with a hint of blue around the outside.

Noticing their expressions, he asked, "What is it?"

"Have you ever been to Galla?" Alanna asked him. She looked back and forth between Cearl and Daine.

"Yes, a long time ago. I think it might have been a little over 15 years" he answered.

"Not sixteen years maybe?"

Daine stared and looked confused. "Did you ever travel to Snowsdale?"

"I've heard of it. But I was never that far up. I traveled to the City of the Gods after I got my Mastery in Carthak and spent a little time with the priests, studying. One spring my friends and I traveled into Cria for Beltane."

Daine stared at him for a little longer and then finally said, "It's a fair likeness, but it's coincidence. I – I think I might have an idea who my father is anyway." The girl looked uncomfortable and continued her cooking duties.

That drew Onua's curiosity. "You've never said anything, Daine." Daine just shook her head. She clearly didn't want to discuss it at this time.

Cearl in the meantime was studying Daine's features. "We do look a bit alike, don't we? But I'd like to think I'd know if I had any children hanging around."

Buri chuckled under her breath. "You said you knew Lindhall Reed. Do you also know Numair Salmalin?"

"I knew him a little as a boy. He was Arram Draper then. But you can see I'm a bit older than he is." He did look to be about forty. "We both attended the University in Carthak, but I left after I got my Mastery, as I said. I have been back a couple of times for visits. I heard things about him, but it doesn't sound like the boy I knew or the man Lindhall describes."

"Ozorne was a liar and evil man. You can't believe anything you heard from him," Daine said coarsely. Alanna shot Onua a significant look.

"Are you one of the black-robes then?" Onua asked.

"Yes," he said proudly. I know Numair Salmalin is also one."

At that point Daine started handing out plates. But the moment she sat down with her own plate, Onua saw her look up into the night sky at something no one else could see. She stood, set down her plate, and held out an arm. A carrier pigeon came out of the night and landed on her arm. Daine's face lit into a huge smile. Clearly she was talking with the bird as she pulled a letter from its ankle pack, though the conversation was inaudible to the rest of them. She then set the bird down on a log near the fire and gave it some dried fruit. "Numair wrote me," she said beaming. "This is Snowbelle. She is one of the carrier pigeons Lindhall had me train when he was down in October."

"Numair wrote you again? It's only been a week. What could he possibly have to say?" Alanna seemed to be teasing Daine. Onua saw an unusual twinkle in Alanna's violet eyes.

"He promised he would. He's got Kit with him after all. She decided his errand was more interesting than mine. So he promised he would write every week to let me know he's taking care of her and not forgetting about her while he's absorbed in all those books."

"Your teacher?" Cearl asked. "I wonder, could I send something back with Snowbelle?"

"Sure," Daine answered, "Or if you need more time, I can always find a bird to carry your message."

"That's right, you can talk to them." He looked amazed.

Daine sat back down with her dinner and began to open her letter. She unfolded three sheets of paper. Onua noticed that every side was covered in Numair's writing.

"Horse Lords! He wrote you a book," Onua said. She laughed and Daine, Alanna and Buri joined in.

As they sat talking with Cearl, Daine was completely absorbed in her letter and nearly missed her mouth with her fork a couple of times. Onua and Alanna giggled at her. Buri was busy braiding some leather for a new bridle. Cearl sat nervously watching all four women. "You are an amazing bunch of ladies," he said finally.

"Oh?" Alanna asked smirking. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, I don't know what I expected. I suppose I thought you would sit around telling provocative jokes the way most soldiers do. Right now though, I doubt if any observing villain would realize you capable of cutting him into pieces in the blink of an eye."

Alanna let out a hearty guffaw. Buri chuckled too. "Jokes come later," Onua observed all with a twinkle. Daine was too engrossed in her letter to even hear the conversation.

"That must be some letter," Buri said.

"Hmmmm?" Daine looked up and smiled, blushing slightly. "Did I miss something?"

"You could say that, youngling," Alanna answered. "Does he say anything in there you feel like sharing?"

"Well, it's probably mostly boring to anyone but me. He talks a lot of the spells they're working on and the City of the Gods. He did say Kit ate some eyebright that Harailt had. Now every time somebody tells an untruth, she sparkles. Numair apologized a lot for letting that happen but swears she won't come to harm." She paused for the howls of laughter. "He also talks a lot about Lindhall's new pets. I guess Lindhall is collecting birds left and right. But it is mostly just Numair-talk. It's nice -- like he's here with us now." She shrugged a little and smiled. "You can read it if you wish."

"That's all right," Buri, Onua, and Alanna said simultaneously and then laughed.

"I think you've let her spend too much time with Numair, Onua," Buri said, eyes twinkling. "She's actually starting to enjoy his ramblings." Daine blushed scarlet.

Onua began to worry. A little over a month ago, while everyone thought Numair was dead, Daine had been devastated. Onua had concluded that Daine's feelings for her teacher might have grown a little too affectionate. But Daine had started dating a few boys her own age and Onua thought that she might be letting the crush go. Now, she wasn't so sure.

"It's all right," Alanna said. "Somebody's got to listen to him talk." She patted Daine on the shoulder.

"Better Daine than me," Buri teased. She got up and walked over to her horse.

Cearl, who had sat there observing for some time asked, "I don't mean to eavesdrop, but is this Kit a child your teacher is babysitting?"

Everybody laughed now. "Can you imagine?" Onua said to Alanna. "No, she is a baby dragon."

"A dragon," he repeated with awe.

So Alanna, Buri and Onua launched into the whole story of how Kit came into Daine's life. Onua didn't know why Daine didn't help. She wandered over to her bedroll, and lay on it on her belly. She appeared to be rereading her letter.

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Okay, please review


	2. Chapter 2 Confusion

**Disclaimer: I don't own most of the characters, places or magical realities in the story. I just borrowed them from Tamora Pierce for a while. **

_A/N: Thanks to Twilight Shades, Purple Eyed Cat, BlackandWhiteRoses, KnightbyDay and Kit49 for immediately reviewing this new story. It keeps me motivated. Yes, Elyra appears in this chapter. For all of you wondering how any sister of hers could be the right age to be betrothed to Roald in another year, you're about to find out. I can't tell you yet the nature of Cearl. I'll let you try to figure him out._

_This is a whopper of a story and you'll start to see it in this chapter. Though I am true to the nature of the characters, you will start to see a little out-of-character behavior. Don't worry. There are reasons for everything and you can't always blame the one who looks guilty._

**Chapter 2 – Confusion**

The sun had streaked the eastern sky with golds, pinks and purples. It was a beautiful sunrise that Jonathan of Conte observed out his study window. But it was one of many he had seen in recent months. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he had not risen before sunrise. Invariably, when the sky turned colors to greet the dawn, Jon could be found exactly where he was now – at his desk in his study buried in paperwork. He thought with a chuckle of stories he had heard the children singing in the streets glorifying the roles of king and queen and building them up to be soft-palmed nobles who ate and slept more than they did anything else. _If only that were true_, he thought

He had just finished a letter to Baron Piers of Mindelan. The Baron had been serving as an ambassador in the Yamani Islands for years now. The man had worked and worked toward a peace accord. Ultimately, it was the Yamani Monarch's daughter, Elyra Kelton, who had made the treaty possible. Still Baron Piers' contribution had been essential. He had taught the Yamanis the language of Tortall and worked effortlessly to smooth the way. When all was said and done, the work of Baron Piers proved to be the deciding factor for the Yamanis. And the general public, who were to know nothing of Elyra's relationship to Mathhew D'nau, were to believe that the Mindelans had pushed it through. He had been trying to draft this letter for days. It had to be worded correctly so that the Baron would know how much he was valued and so that he would not feel undermined by the final outcome of the accord. Jon had originally dictated the letter, but eventually decided to produce it in his own hand.

An unexpected knock at the door carried Jon into the nightmare. A sentry stood outside the door with three battered looking King's Own Soldiers and Sir Raoul in chains. The large man who had been a boyhood friend and one of his most trusted knights spat at Jon's feet and said, "Lord Sinthya sends his regards." Then he collapsed.

------

Numair was exhausted. He had been up most of the night working on translations. Now he sat reviewing the results trying to find a mistake somewhere. It had to be wrong. Four years ago, mages in Carthak had found the spells that had been used to devise the magical barrier that locked the immortals into the Realms of the Gods. The mages had opened gate after gate along the barrier, releasing monsters such as spidrens, stormwings, trolls, and hurroks, to weaken the countries they wished to dominate. Mages in Tortall had stretched the barrier to seal the gates wherever they could. But the barrier had been weakened. It seemed most reasonable to make a new one and before Numair was the spell to do it. However, the translation showed that the mages of 400 years earlier had magic at their disposal which Numair did not. An Elemental had helped them. Elementals were no longer part of their world. Numair did not know how to break this news to his king or the mages he was assisting.

Numair sat back against his chair and ran a hand through his shoulder length, raven hair. He had pulled the tie free hours ago and he was sure he looked scruffy. Running a hand over his chin, he could feel the beginning of a beard. He tried to remember the last time he had shaved. For that matter, he wasn't sure he could remember the last time he had eaten. He could picture Daine shaking her head at him and telling him he couldn't bury himself in books. If they weren't miles apart, she would more than likely have brought him food and shooed him outside for a walk. She was always looking out for him. He realized he was smiling at the very thought of her. He chastised himself heavily.

Part of the reason for the separation was to help him get over this. He had a growing affection for his fifteen-year-old student that could not be allowed to continue. At some point he realized the feeling, although he had hoped that it would blow over. She was too young for him -- too young to hold any permanent fascination. Alanna had told him that she had originally had that kind of relationship with Jon. They once believed themselves so in love that Jon had proposed. Alanna had said, "No." It was a good thing; Numair could not imagine Alanna as queen. She would detest that life. He also couldn't picture Jon and Alanna together. That was over before he knew either of them. And clearly, George and Alanna belonged together.

So Numair kept trying to put distance between himself and Daine. The problem was he couldn't maintain it. He wrote to her a little every day. Although he sent his letters once a week, he was incapable of pushing her from his thoughts for even one 24-hour period. Part of that had to do with Kit, the dragonet that Daine had sent with him. Kit loved to read and learn. It seemed natural enough that she would prefer his company to Daine's at this particular time. Numair was spending his days in one of the oldest libraries in the known world. Daine was riding through country that she had seen enough to know blindfolded. Numair felt obligated to tell Daine of Kit's welfare, and Kit was a constant reminder of Daine.

Ignoring his own exhaustion, Numair stood and headed to the sleeping chamber where he could hear Kit stirring. Sure enough, the light-blue creature was awake and that meant she would be hungry. "Good morning, Kit. Did you sleep well?"

She trilled in answer. It was strange how she made her thoughts known despite an inability to speak in the same way humans did. Since her body changed color with her emotions and her various clicks, purrs, trills and whistles conveyed a lot of feeling, he usually caught her drift. It did not matter that the precise words were unattainable. He patted her head affectionately. "I have bad news for the others. I suppose I shouldn't put it off. But I need to clean up first. Can you wait that long? We can go to breakfast just as soon as I'm done." Kit's eyes glowed silver and she made a soft cooing sound. Numair felt his hair straightening into a horsetail and watched the wrinkles in his clothes fall away. He lifted a hand to his chin to feel cleanly shaven skin. "No waiting, huh?" he asked chuckling. "I do believe you're getting better at that."

He led Skysong down to the dining area. Lindhall Reed and Harailt were sitting there having a deep discussion. When they noticed Numair, they smiled a greeting. Lindhall studied Numair's face, "Mythros! You look exhausted. Did you sleep at all?"

Numair chuckled as he took a seat. "You know me too well. I got caught up in translating. When I looked up the sun had risen. And Kit here was far too hungry to let me even clean up on my own. She did her 'neatening up trick'. Apparently it even removes a beard now." He shrugged and yawned. "I figured I'd get a bite and head up for a bath and a nap after I delivered the bad news."

"Bad news?" Harailt asked, eyes full of concern.

As the two other men focused on him, Numair explained what he had discovered. At their crestfallen expressions, he said, "I think we can try to reinforce it with basic barrier spells. I know some good ones. But as you know those have limits. There might be something in the _Power Codex_ but I need to do some more translating there. Without elemental magic, I think we are forced to continue the patch jobs we have been doing. My concern is that the magic is being stretched too thin. It could rupture. If it does, we will be inundated in immortals."

Lindhall patted his shoulder. "You have done a lot already, my boy. We thought we would be translating that scroll for a week more at least. You have earned a rest."

"Maybe I'll dream up an answer," Numair said with a smile, "Although lately my dreams are extremely unhelpful."

Harailt smiled wickedly and asked, "Full of women and the wrong kind of magic?"

"Something like that," Numair said with a smirk.

"If you push yourself too hard it makes sense you'd do something more relaxing in your dreams," Lindhall said, sharing the joke.

While the other two men sniggered, Numair was trying not to reveal how he really felt about all this. He allowed a yawn to cover up any show of emotion. His dreams had been full of one young woman and he was not supposed to be dreaming about her. Sometimes it was innocent. In those dreams he would replay events of the past over and over in his sleep. Occasionally, however, Daine appeared in the manner which Harailt had implied. Those dreams left Numair feeling a most uncomfortable mixture of aroused, nervous and ashamed. It was not the sort of thing he cared to discuss with anyone, no matter how comfortable he was with them. He was far too confused to look at it logically anyway.

Numair decided to skip breakfast. "Lindhall, can I impose upon you to look after Kit for a short time?"

"Of course," Lindhall said and beamed at the little dragon. "It would be my immense pleasure."

Kit's color intensified and she trilled with pleasure. Numair wondered idly if that was her version of blushing.

------

Elyra Kelton knelt beside her father's bed. She and her children had enjoyed a month of his company. She had renewed a love for her father that she had never known could exist. Now the man lay dying after suffering a severe coronary. The irony of the situation was not missed on her. Though she was grateful for having had some time to get to know him, she felt that once again, there was too much death around her.

Her brother-in-law was waiting like a vulture for his turn at the throne. Emperor Matthew D'nau had sired only daughters. Her eldest sister's husband was next in line for the throne. He had not welcomed Elyra, Meesha or Michael. He was a hard man and she loathed to imagine what kind of emperor he would be.

She hoped he wouldn't change much. Elyra had found that in her absence the Yamani Islands had become a country to be proud of. Like Tortall, it was now the fashion to train women as fighters. In the twelve years since she had lived there, masters trained children of both sexes from the age of six. Her father had explained it as something he needed to do to atone for what had happened to Elyra as a child. He had thought that if her mother had been able to defend her, Elyra might not have been kidnapped. She would not have been injured and would not have faced the life that she did. The changes had actually begun before she left, but they had been introduced slowly. She had not paid attention to politics or the changing traditions when she was a child. So she never imagined the world that she now found. In some ways, the Yamanis were ahead of Tortall. Still, her mind kept drawing her back to that country and the mage that held her fascination.

With a last gasp, her father left the mortal realm. She kissed his cold cheek and promised to honor his memory until her last breath. Now she was left to try to figure out where she belonged in the world.

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Okay. Please review.


	3. Chapter 3 Recalled to Corus

**Disclaimer: I'm on a quest to see how many different ways one can put the disclaimer. Today's is: I didn't do it originally so you can't blame me. Blame Ms. Tamora Pierce for most of the characters, places, and magic. But I did twist it, reform it, abuse it, and publish it on You can blame me for that. So hahaha.**

_A/N: Who besides myself wondered what happened to some of the villains who got away or got imprisoned in WM, WS, LR, etc.?_

_Escape 5: You get your wish – I'm updating._

_Purple Eyed Cat: Yes, that is the right emperor. If you think about it, First Test is only one year away from this point. I will definitely bring Elyra back to Tortall. She has a thing for Lindhall. So that is where she would want to be. And, she needs some proper mage training. She is a healer naturally. She is an intriguing character and so are her children._

_Blackandwhiteroses: No, the Yamani Emperor will not be the big problem in this story. He will cause some small problems from being a butthead, but it's a subplot. You did already get a small hint at the big problem in this story, but I don't think too many people caught on yet. Otherwise there would have been a few gripes from my placing Raoul in chains and having him refer to an old enemy like a sovereign. Don't worry though, I shall return Raoul to his proper place before the end of the story._

_Narms Briton 44: ROFL Oiled cricket on a suicide mission ROFL strip of fluff_

_You are way too funny. Thanks for the compliments and oh my god! Three hours of fencing. You are nuts. I'm so impressed._

_Kit49: Thank you, thank you, thank you a million times for all the encouragement and consistent reviews._

_TammyPRocks: Oh, you are a little psychic. Onua will get some action in this story but… well I can't spoil the fun now can I?_

And now……..

**Chapter 3 Recalled to Corus**

Alanna arose just before dawn, intent on taking a bath in the hot spring and warming herself up. After all this time she still hated camping in the cold and she had been wary of using her gift to keep her warm after the spidren attack, even though the camp had been warded.

She walked cautiously toward the spring, grateful that they had decided to put it within their protective circle. A flock of chickadees dropped down to greet her, stopping her progress and chirping loudly. Then she heard Daine's voice say, "Sorry, Alanna, I didn't want Cearl walking over while I was bathing." The birds cleared the way and Alanna laughed as she walked the last few yards to the spring.

"I love your sentries. They are so much more cheerful than those at the castle." She removed her clothes and lowered herself into the warm water, grateful to relieve the pain of the aching joints and numb fingers.

"I'm not going to want to get out of here. But I suppose I have to eventually." Daine ducked her head under the water, reemerging with a grin. "You are unusually friendly this morning."

Alanna's brow furrowed. "Surely I'm not that crabby in the morning!"

"Not like Onua and Numair, but it is generally understood that you don't like mornings."

Alanna rubbed a spot on her shoulder that was sore. A small wound was there and it looked like she had been cut with a knife. She healed it with a flash of violet fire. "It's funny, I don't remember getting that." She paused a moment, shrugged, and continued, "I wonder how many times I've said that very same statement."

Daine laughed. "Probably a lot. I know I say it fair often. We did have a fight with a bunch of spidrens which we still need to bury this morning. I wish Numair were here. He could stack them up and torch them neatly with hardly a thought."

"I can take care of most of that." She splashed about a bit, scrubbing arms and hands. "You had that glow stone that Numair gave you out for quite a long time last night. Did you write him about the spidrens?"

"Yes, although I'm not sure if I'll send it."

"Why not?" Alanna studied the girl's face.

"How fast would Numair fly here if he read that? I swear that he thinks I can't take care of myself when it's him that needs looking after."

Alanna laughed loudly. "You two are something." And here she was again. For the last few months, Alanna had seen what she could only describe as love blossoming between these two. There were moments she wanted to knock their heads together and tell them to get on with it or over it. But she knew from her own experiences that you cannot tell someone that they are in love until they figure it out for themselves. And this would not be an easy relationship. The age difference would not go over well with many people. It seemed cut and dried to Alanna that these two belonged together. Her husband, George, had noticed it too. He thought they were soul mates as well and thought that someone ought to tell them that. However, he was willing to bow to Alanna's discretion.

"What do you mean?" Daine asked looking very confused.

"Numair is the most powerful mage in the country, maybe even the world. You are the best archer I have ever seen and you can give yourself claws and fangs without a second's notice. I would say you are both very capable of taking care of yourselves. But you worry about each other like two clucking hens. That's what I mean." She watched the girl for a reaction. Daine seemed to be chewing her bottom lip.

"I love Numair. I don't want anything to happen to him," she said finally.

Alanna was shocked that Daine would just come right out and say it as if it was a generally known fact.

"Not like that!" Daine said, responding to Alanna's face. "He's pack, remember – family. Only I haven't figured out what family he is. I don't exactly think of him as a brother or…"

Alanna couldn't help herself. She laughed loudly again until Daine was beet red. "You sound like Numair! Don't analyze it so much. It is what it is."

"What if I don't know what it is?" She looked mortified.

Alanna gave her a sympathetic smile. "Do your animal friends need labels, Daine?" Daine shook her head. "Well there you go. Don't worry. It is enough that you call him pack in my mind. I know not everyone agrees. Some people don't like the closeness. They make up stories. Other people don't notice it at all. Don't let strangers dictate your actions. When it comes down to it, youngling, you need only to be happy. Your friends will come around, the rest be damned."

Daine stared at her, eyes wide and said nothing.

Alanna watched her face for a moment and answered the unspoken question. "I have had a number of weird relationships in my life. Pretending to be a boy didn't help because it changed the rules. I love Raoul and Gary. They are two of my best friends. If anything happened to them…" She let the statement hang because she didn't want to think about it. "Do you imagine that people don't try to turn that into something else?"

"I never really thought about it. It doesn't seem any more unusual than the friendships that you have with Thayet and Buri."

"Exactly. Of course, it is possible the court gossips tried to pervert those relationships too and I just haven't heard about it."

Daine laughed loudly. "That would just be silly."

"So are suggestions that I'm cheating with Raoul, but I have heard that one."

Daine looked shocked. "No!" The sun had started to rise, streaking the sky with a palate of colors guaranteed to delight any painter. The usual morning sounds of birds singing and small animals scratching about for morning meals filled the air.

"Then there is my relationship with Myles. You know he has adopted me, but he isn't my natural father. My love for him is different than what I have for Raoul or Gary. But it isn't what I have for George."

"Yeah, Numair explained that to me in his final letter. Did you know that?"

"No," Alanna answered and tilted her head. _Has he confessed his feelings?_ she wondered.

"I didn't show anyone. I felt funny at first because it was supposed to be a last letter. He explained the difference between 'love' and 'in love' and asked me to promise post… umm – I can't say that word – anyway he wanted me to promise him that I wouldn't settle for anything less than 'in-love' and said he wanted me to be happy for a long, long time."

Alanny couldn't help the smile that crept up her face. "That's – wow! – that was – now that was a kind thing to put in a last letter."

"You can read it if you want to." Daine looked distant. She faced the sunrise which was now almost at its pinnacle.

"You're still a little lost aren't you?"

Daine's eyes looked haunted. "It was the worst few days of my life. I think I cried even more than when I buried my family. When he came back I was – I hadn't been listening to the animals. I had shut them out – but that day I wanted to run – to lose myself. I half hoped the barrier he made in my mind would have evaporated the way the simulacrum did. And I just realized you have no idea what I'm talking about."

Alanna looked down at the water. "Daine," she said softly, "Numair told me. He hated breaking your confidence, but he needed me to add some of my own gift to make the barrier permanent in case something ever happened to him."

Daine was clearly stunned. "When?"

"While we were in Carthak," Alanna answered. "He didn't want to scare you, so he asked me not to say anything. He thought that Ozorne might do something and he – he didn't want to leave it undone, just in case."

Daine was clearly angry. She got up out of the water and dried off at the side. "Alanna, I'll have the chickadees continue their patrol, okay." Daine didn't look at her, but Alanna suddenly realized there were tears on her cheeks.

"Daine, please don't be angry. We both care about you so much. It nearly ripped Numair apart to think that you might be targeted by Ozorne because he couldn't hold his temper. He asked me not to scare you so I didn't say anything."

"He is never going to see me as anything but a child is he? I'll bet he hadn't been through half of what I have when he was 15. Maybe he was childish then, but I am not!"

Buri's voice came through the trees, "What's going on? Why all the yelling? Why won't these damn birds let me pass?"

Alanna didn't know whether Buri's cursing the birds was the final straw or whether Daine was just that angry. She didn't say another word. She just turned into a falcon where she stood and took off toward the horizon. The birds parted to let Buri through. She approached the edge of the spring as Alanna was drying off. "Sorry, Buri," Alanna said. "I just really put my foot in my mouth."

A speaking spell of blue fire sparkled at the edge of Alanna's vision. She could hear Jon's panicked voice, "Alanna, I don't know what is going on. But I think I'm going to need your help. Raoul is in the dungeon for killing six members of The Own. When they brought him to me, he spouted something about Lord Sinthya and blacked out. He says he can't remember doing any of the things he's accused of, but there are witnesses – many witnesses."

Alanna just stood there, stunned.

-----

Onua and Cearl were making breakfast and talking. Cearl had turned out to be a very interesting man with a love of traveling and animals. He had gone back to the spidren nest at first light to bury his mount, who had died in the fight. When Onua found him there, he had tears on his cheeks.

Onua usually had all the charisma of a hungry bear in the morning hours. But she found herself making an effort to be friendly. She urged him back to camp and let him wash his hands in water from her canteen. Then they had started talking about horses. The time flew as she prepared the porridge and found herself reminiscing on ponies she had purchased for the riders and on her first mount, a bay named Cabo. Tahoi, however, had not warmed to the mage.

When Alanna came rushing back to the fire, still straightening her coat, Onua was startled. She had been so wrapped up in the conversation that she hadn't even heard Alanna's approach.

"Sorry Onua, but I need to talk to Jon in the fire. It appears to be an emergency. And also, I upset Daine. She flew away eastward in falcon shape."

"Falcon shape," Cearl said, awe ringing in his voice. "She really can transform into animals."

-------

Numair had only slept for an hour when Alanna and Jon sent speaking spells to wake him. They were weak because of the distance, but still he was able to get the gist. He and his friends were needed in Corus as soon as possible. He walked to the fireplace and took a moment to talk to both of them.

Numair packed up his bags and raced to where Lindhall and Harailt were pouring over his notes. "Jon needs us back in Corus as soon as possible. I'll fill you in on the road. Suffice it to say that we have to hope the barrier will hold for now. More pressing issues need our attention."

They were going to have to ride hard, a prospect Numair never looked forward to. He wished so much that he had not offered to take Kitten. He could fly to meet Alanna instead of riding. He chastised himself for wishing to shirk his responsibility and headed down to saddle Spots. There was only one good thing about this rushed trip – Alanna was traveling with Daine.

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Okay, please review.


	4. Chapter 4 Free Will

**Disclaimer: Dude! It's Tamora Pierces'. Okay? Thaaaanks**

_A/N:_

_1reallyblue1: Hmmm, not a simulacrum. He's definitely real. But you're on the right track with bewitched. I'm glad you liked Kit. I didn't do her justice in the last story. She just didn't really fit so I moved her out._

_Twilight Shades: She didn't run away. She just needed some space. However, Numair is going to get a surprise if she's still mad when he arrives._

_Purple Eyed Cat: Don't you love it when Alanna proves she's human?_

**Chapter 4 – Free Will**

Jon had gone over it and over it in his mind. There was just no way for him to reconcile that Raoul would turn traitor. Raoul was one of his most trusted men. They had gone through knight training together. Through each of the changes Jon had made in the kingdom, Raoul had offered unwavering support, despite the fact that many of Raoul's family members had not agreed with the changes.

Thayet put her hands on his shoulders and started to massage. Jon groaned in pleasure and closed his eyes. "My love, you always know just what I need." The pressure of her hands was booth hard and soothing.

"I wish I were as clairvoyant as you suggest. However, you should probably know that there is tension written all over your face."

"I cannot help but be tense. There is no way Raoul would betray us. It's like suggesting that Alanna would betray us. It could not happen."

"If he wouldn't turn traitor of his own free will, then it is not his own doing. It seems simple enough to me. Lord Sinthya was a mage. Could he control a man like this?"

"According to Numair, that isn't an option. Sinthya had Gift, yes, but it was weak. If this were Sinthya's doing, Numair doubts he could hide it from Duke Baird. However, it is possible that Sinthya found a way to boost his strength. There are gems that can do that – black opals for one. To a certain degree, power grows with practice. And of course, Numair told us how Ozorne had added to his own power." Jon shivered involuntarily. "The idea of sucking the power from an untrained mage until they die makes my skin crawl."

"One would have to use a child almost certainly," Thayet's voice sounded hollow.

Jon turned his enough to kiss the edge of her hand. "Try not to think of it, my love."

"Who could do something like this?" Thayet asked. She walked around in front of Jon and looked deeply into his eyes. "Who and how?"

"Well, no doubt it is something Roger could have accomplished. Thom would then have been able to. Obviously, if Thom could, then Alanna has the power. Numair has the power. Harailt has the power. Ozorne could definitely have accomplished it. It would take a strong master, but that encompasses many. Numair and Alanna agreed that there are several ways in which it could be done. But it isn't the kind of thing that could be planned quickly. That's the part I just can't figure out. None of the witnesses remember any mages around Raoul in the last few weeks other than Numair. And again, Numair would never betray us. Whoever did this planned it well. They have us looking to our own people for turn-coats."

------

Elyra felt like she had been swept into another world. Her father had been dead for a few short hours and already the memorial was planned and coronation preparations were underway. She had only begun to grieve her loss and yet she was expected to show no emotion. It was an aspect she was raised with but it seemed cruel at this particular moment. Perhaps the time in the Copper Isles had changed her more than she realized.

The 26 year old redhead found herself in the way at every turn. She had settled in a temple to pray for her father's warm acceptance by the Black God. But she had been ushered out only a few minutes later so that the temple priests could prepare for the memorial. She tried to walk back to her rooms only to be impeded by the rearrangement of furniture in the grand hall by way of the corridors. She tried to take a walk outside and found herself inundated by loyal servants who had been unceremoniously dismissed. Finally she found her way to the garden. She decided that if the other Yamanis thought her weak for her tears, it was a label she would just have to live with. She let herself go and a rush of despair overtook her. She sat on a bench and sobbed.

She never heard the short, stocky man enter the garden. She only became aware of him when he handed her his handkerchief solemnly. For a long time he stood there, pretending not to notice her sorrow. Finally she motioned for him to take a seat beside her. She sniffed one last time and pulled her emotions into check. "Thank you, Baron Piers. You are most kind. I shall have your handkerchief cleaned and returned to you."

He nodded politely. "I am sorry for your loss, Princess Elyra."

"Please, it is just Elyra. I left behind the title of princess many years ago and soon enough I will be the awkward duchess."

He smiled slightly and then returned to the mask that was common for those who lived in Yaman for any length of time. She noticed a far away look in his hazel eyes. "This will undo our treaty won't it?" she asked finally.

"I am afraid so," he answered stiffly. "It was a difficult treaty to build until you contacted your father, and now I am afraid the acting Emperor will not want to continue."

"But it is considered distasteful to abolish a treaty made by an honored sovereign, is it not?"

"If only I could say that to him."

In spite of her grief, she smiled and half chuckled. "Your composure fits so much better with the Yaman ways than does mine and yet… Do you find it as irritating as I do?"

He didn't have to answer. The twinkle in his eyes told her everything she needed to know. "Tell me Baron, what can I do to help you put this back together in honor of two leaders we both respect?"

He looked both surprised and pleased.

-----

Daine flew for a quarter of an hour only. She had to unload some anger and it seemed easier to let it go from the air. She also used the time to scout their path. She knew the rendezvous point was coming up soon. Alanna should meet up with The Own even sooner. As she scouted she found no other signs of immortals ahead. She said a quick prayer of thanks to the Goddess and turned around.

She realized she was talking to the Goddess more often lately. She couldn't help but have a soft spot in her heart for the deity that had returned Numair. Even if she was angry with him right now, she was glad he was back and she must not forget.

Daine knew, too, that her anger was probably unjustified. If there was real concern for the barrier that allowed her to touch her magic without surrendering to madness, then Numair was just looking out for her. But she felt a little violated. When Numair put that barrier in place, he did so with her permission. Daine could hardly believe that he would ask Alanna to enter her mind and not even tell her. She wanted to scream at him and he wasn't anywhere around. Maybe she would tell him off in a letter.

As she came within visual range of the clearing, she could see that camp was being packed up hurriedly. –It's about time-, Cloud said in mindspeak. –Something bad has happened. The Lioness spoke into the fire with Blackbeard and Storkman.- Daine had to giggle at the Cloud's insisted nicknames for the king and Numair. The Lioness was a nickname that Alanna liked and it had been given to her by her brother. Daine doubted very much if Jon would like being called Blackbeard. She knew Numair detested the nickname "Storkman".

Let Onua know I'm almost back, Daine mindspoke to Cloud. She saw Cloud nudge Onua with her nose and look to the sky.

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Okay. Please review.


	5. Chapter 5 Foes

**Disclaimer: I am not, nor could I ever be the talented Tamora Pierce. But if I shut my eyes and spin around hard enough, I could hit my head hard enough that I might believe it – hypothetically.**

_A/N: Okay, so you know, I do have a bit of a formula. There is something important to the final outcome of this or the next story in every chapter. Otherwise, I edit it out before it ever gets stuck on the net. I never, ever have a chapter that is solely for character development. There's always story development in every single one. Now go on and hunt for clues. : )_

_Blackandwhiteroses: I do not go against cannon. However, I have wiggle room in how bad a guy the emperor is because he did behead people for dumb reasons according to Kel. So, maybe bad is in the eye of the beholder. We will say that he takes the "show no emotion" crap a little too seriously._

_Narms Briton 44: Congratulations on ditching the nazi. I missed my 24 hour window because we took the baby to the animal park. But I got some great research done in the process. _

_Twilight Shades: Sinthya was the dude that tried to drug Numair in the very first chapter he was introduced – of course you hate him. We all do. And you may get your wish – but it may not be the best thing to happen. Heehee I gave you a spoiler._

_1reallyblue1: I cannot wait to reveal that. It will blow your mind._

_X17SkmBdrchiczxx: Holy cow! What a name! Anyway, thanks. You will find that I'm a fanatic updater -- One chapter a day every day, and occasionally I go nuts and do two or three._

And now…….

**Chapter 5 – Foes**

The former Lord Sinthya rode north out of Persopolis at a gallop. He had never expected to find himself in Tortall again, let alone on a direct route to the capital. Two and a half years prior, he had been flown by stormwings to escape the law of the land. He had hidden in Carthak since that time, dreaming of the day when he would get even with the mage how had spied on him for the king of Tortall. That mage was Numair Salmalin and his information had forced Sinthya to lose everything – his home, his title as Lord of a Fief, the respect of his remaining family. He wanted vengeance and felt it was his due.

Sinthya had colluded with Emperor Ozorne, that was true. But he would not have done so if it weren't for the retched changes that Jonathan of Conte was forcing through to please his wife. Sinthya hated Queen Thayet. She was beautiful and perhaps bewitching, for she had convinced the King to do things that were not logical. He felt these changes went against the Gods and so the ends justified the means.

The air was cold and he could feel the chill settling into his weathered skin. His cheeks were pink and wind-burned and his lips were badly chapped. He wanted nothing more than to curl up by a warm fire until Spring. But that wasn't what he was doing. Instead he was riding like his mount's tail was on fire for Corus, hoping to affect the future and praying to the Gods that they would give him the strength he needed to make it there.

-----

Raoul was beside himself with grief and guilt. He had served as Commander of the Kings Own for a number of years now. Each of those years he had devoted his whole soul to the task because of love of the realm and faith in his king and friend. Each of the soldiers in his command was a friend whom he had trusted with his life on many occasions. It was devastating to be accused of killing six of those men. But what was worse – much worse – was the fear that he actually may have done it.

The evidence was overwhelming. His own men had captured him after having witnessed one of the murders. Not only did they swear to it, but he couldn't remember the capture at all. Jon had been to interrogate him after Duke Baird had brought him around. Jon told him that just before he collapsed, he had said, "Lord Sinthya sends his regards". Jon wouldn't lie. But he neither remembered saying it nor ever having met Lord Sinthya. Sure Lord Sinthya had attended a few social functions while Raoul had been in Command of the Own. But Raoul hated social functions and usually only stayed if he absolutely had to.

He knew Lord Sinthya's history. He considered the man a traitor. He would rather die than befriend such a cad. Why would he have chosen to serve a man he detested so? The simplest answer was that he wouldn't. But there were no simple answers in this case.

So, he remained in the dungeon. This was a place where he had helped to send traitors and thieves. Those permanent residents of the dungeon had spent the day making catcalls and jeers from their own cells. They knew he was here. Whether they knew why, he could not say. But then, he wasn't sure why he was here himself, other than that it seemed the best choice under the circumstances. If something had forced him to betray Jon and his men, at least locked away he could do no harm.

------

Buri, Onua and Daine had picked up their paces to deliver the ponies and get back to Corus. Alanna had gone forward to meet the individuals she had been sent by Jon to meet. This was an eight-man squad of The Own, who were to run field tests on a new system of communication devised by Numair. Spelled pendants would allow even non-mages to communicate with one another quietly. She had eight of the things in her saddle bag. She had now been ordered to pass them quickly and return with Onua and Daine to Corus.

When she had left the others, Cearl was staying with them temporarily. He had intended to join up with Numair and Lindhall in the City of the Gods and now those plans were void as Numair and Lindhall were headed back to Corus as well. Onua and Daine should meet up with their rider group just west of Naxen, so Numair, Harailt and Lindhall planned to cut cross-country to intercept and accompany them back to Corus.

Alanna was not looking forward to that time. Daine was still responding stiffly to her, and she doubted whether seeing Numair was going to help the situation much. Daine might even be so angry with the mage as to pick a fight with him. There were times when Alanna felt wise and capable. This was not one of them. She wished she had just kept her mouth shut, or better still, followed her own better judgment and told Daine what she was doing in Carthak against Numair's wishes.

The afternoon sun was warmer than expected for December. Patches of mostly melted snow glistened in the light and left her eyes aching. When the pressure in her head first hit, she thought that was the cause. But it just kept growing and growing. She felt dizzy.

When Alanna came to herself she wasn't sure what had happened, or where she was. Dusk had fallen. She was in a puddle and Darkmoon was nowhere to be seen. It was not like Darkmoon to run off if she fell. He was much better trained than that. She could see a ridge behind her. She thought she might be able to get her bearings if she topped it, so she did so. But once she reached the apex and looked down into the draw on the other side, she nearly collapsed at what she saw. Eight members of the own and their mounts were dead, strewn across the hillside like they had fallen in a war.

Heartsick, Alanna ran from body to body, hoping for a sign of life. But there were no survivors. And who would kill all the horses too? One young man, whose name had been Azar, lay with the most shocked expression in his frozen face. It was if he had seen an enemy he could not imagine. Azar had been a friend and Alanna found she could not hold her emotions back. They swallowed her in a flood of tears and she crouched on the ground weeping for several minutes.

When she held out her hand to send the speaking spell, she could barely hold her palm steady. Her hand was covered in blood. It was horrifying to realize that she didn't know whose blood it was. She couldn't actually remember touching blood but she had felt for pulses in each man. It was a symbol of the level of devastation she felt at this moment. An unseen foe had wiped out every last man in this squad and yet somehow left her alive a mere hundred yards away. It might be the reason Darkmoon had left her. She prayed to the Goddess that he was alright.

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Okay, please review.


	6. Chapter 6 Songs and Sorrows

**Disclaimer: My name is not Tamora Pierce. She made up most of the characters, places and magic. I borrowed and improvised.**

_A/N: This chapter includes a musical instrument. The citole, which is a forerunner of the Cittern, is a small stringed instrument rather like a mandolin. It was ideal for carrying horseback as it weighed only 2 pounds. I got the idea that Onua was a musician from a comment made in WM, when she mentions that Tahoi can't sing (as if she can). So my version of Onua might be a bit more talented than Tamora Pierce's. I have also decided that musical ability belongs to Numair, Sarge and probably Thayet. It is because of descriptions of their voices. I teach music on the side and have since I was 16. So I feel confident in saying that those voices would usually belong to the people that can sing well. Numair should be an upper baritone, by the way. I see a lot of stories refer to him as a tenor. However, in normal male voices (excluding eunuchs) they are basso profundo (lowest), bass, baritone, tenor, mezzo tenor). Literally baritone is mid-range. Onua is probably an alto (chesty laugh), Sarge is likely a bass or basso profundo and Thayet is likely a soprano. Numair's height alone should make him baritone or bass. I have three brothers all 6'4" or taller and they all sing low. Anyway, I don't know how many will be interested in these tidbits, but I just thought I would explain._

_The songs are copyrighted. That's why you had to wait a week before I started this story. I wrote the songs, but I sent them right in to the copyright office. I did write them for this story but I liked them an awful lot. I've written songs since I was 12 and music since I was 6. Despite the fact that I can't put notation on this site, I do have melodies. At this point in my life they come automatically together.._

And now….

**Chapter 6 – Songs and Sorrows**

Onua, Buri, Daine and Cearl had made good time that day. They had put Cearl on one of the replacement ponies and the four of them spent a pretty enjoyable day chatting about all kinds of things. Alanna had left them mid morning to meet the Kings Own Squad she had been sent for.

Onua found she very much liked Cearl. He loved horses and magic. He was friendly and had a warm laugh. He was a bit older than she, but not enough to fuss over. She thought she might have a little bit of a crush and it had been a long time since she really longed for the company of a man.

When they stopped to make camp, enough of his gift had recharged to build a nice fire for them. It was good because the wood around the area was fairly wet from melted snow. Buri took her turn at cooking and Daine checked the ponies over. After dinner Buri convinced Onua to pull out her Citole and they sat around the fire singing old songs and telling stories.

Cearl watched Onua play with admiring eyes. "I've never learned to play an instrument, though I have often wanted to. How long have you played?" he asked.

"Several years now," she answered.

"She's self-taught," Buri added with a little pride in her voice for her friend.

"And she writes music too," Daine added.

"Impressive. Can I hear some of your compositions?" Cearl looked completely intrigued.

"Well I only write the music. I can play a few tunes for you. I had our favorite word-smith write some lyrics for me. But it took him over two years to get around to actually showing them to me. I could play a couple of those, but they're really new and a little rough yet."

"Who wrote the lyrics?" Buri asked confused.

"Numair," Onua answered. Both Buri and Daine looked surprised. "When he traveled with myself and Daine back when I first hired Daine, I asked him to write some poems. I told him I wanted some love songs and such. I guess he worked on it all this time, but he didn't bother to tell me until that letter after his death."

"What?" Cearl looked confused. "I thought Numair Salmalin was alive."

"Well, he is. The short of it is he gave his life to save a child and the Goddess brought him back. But we had all opened his last letters to us and he mentioned this black book of song lyrics that he had been too self-conscious to give me. I told him that now that I knew it existed I wanted to see it, so he gave it to me. I had pictured a small, half filled book. Wait until you see." Onua stood and walked to her pack and pulled out a large book with a black leather cover. "There are only two blank pages but more than 150 completed songs. Some are funny songs about different friends. Some are love songs like I asked. A few are just pictures made of words. I knew he was a little poetic but they are really very good. It's hard to get him to sing, but he has a nice voice. Overall, I think he could have made a living as a musician."

Onua sat back by the fire with her Citole. She took a moment to retune the strings. "I've only been able to work on a couple of the songs to put music to them. I did look over them all. They are really nice. But I liked the lyrics to these two enough that I had intended to fix them up for our Midwinter party. One is meant for a man to sing, unless I change some words. But I thought it might be nice to convince either Numair or Sarge to sing it."

Daine seemed compelled to stare at the notebook. "Can I – can I look through your songs?"

"Of course, Daine. I do need the book right now though. I haven't learned all the lyrics by heart yet. And my melody might be a little clumsy yet. Hopefully you'll forgive me that." There was a murmured unanimous agreement. "But I'll play these two for you and then you can look through the whole thing, okay?" Daine nodded.

Cearl moved a little closer to Onua as she propped the book on a rock in front of her. She began to play a slightly mischievous tune to a song she had called, "Mixed up and Confused". Then, she began to sing:

_Whenever I see you  
Whenever I hear you  
I long to be near you  
Tell me_

_If we're friends why does it seem  
You grace each of my dreams  
What does it all mean  
Tell me _

_You've got me mixed up and confused  
Yes, you do  
__I've never been so fool hearted  
I'm half of me when we're parted  
I don't know when this madness started  
And I just don't know what to do_

_Was it caused by the water  
Or some kind of fever  
Should I go to a healer  
Tell me/ __If I pretend not to see it  
Or run, can I beat it  
Should I just bow, defeated  
Tell me_

_You've got me mixed up and confused  
Yes, you do  
__I've never been so fool hearted  
I'm half of me when we're parted  
I don't know when this madness started  
And I just don't know what to do_

_You leave me so distracted  
I'm awfully attracted  
Please forget how I've acted if I'm too befuddled  
__But I find myself staring  
Thinking and daring  
To wonder if you're sharing this crazy muddle _

_You've got me mixed up and confused  
Yes, you do  
__I've never been so fool hearted  
I'm half of me when we're parted  
I don't know when this madness started  
And I just don't know what to do  
__You've got me mixed up and confused_

Her small audience clapped enthusiastically. "That's very wonderful," Cearl said beaming. "The words suit you well too. I like the melody you put with it. It fits the tone."

Onua blushed a bit at the praise. She felt like Cearl might be a good critic because he seemed to have a basic understanding of music, even if he didn't play anything. "This other one is the one for a male singer. I'll have to sing it that way so you understand the way it should sound." She began to play a beautiful but sad introduction to a song she had called, "She's Everything to Me."

_She's got a smile like sunshine  
It warms me when I'm feeling down  
__She's got a laugh like music  
I feel joy when I just hear the sound  
__She's rough but filled brilliance  
A mix of worldy innocence  
And she's just as lovely as can be  
__She's just another girl to you  
But she's everything to me_

_She's got a heart of gold  
She'd be the last to ever let you down  
__So strong and so courageous  
Yet her feet are planted on the ground  
__She sees the best around her  
And so the best surround her  
She knows the truth but she's naïve  
__She's just another girl to you  
But she's everything to me_

_She's got a soaring spirit  
Only a fool would try to hold her down  
__When she's mad I swear the heavens thunder  
And you're best to head for higher ground  
__She's polished and she's skillful  
Sometimes she's brisk and willful  
But I hope she doesn't ever change a thing  
__She's just another girl to you  
Oh, but she's everything to me_

_She's everything I want  
She's everything I need  
And everything that cannot be  
__I know I'll never hold her  
But she's everything to me_

Again the three listeners clapped for her, making the ponies whuffle curiously. "That is beautiful," Buri said. She looked a little more misty than Onua had ever seen her.

Onua picked up the book and gave it to Daine. "I was thinking that when Lindhall, Harailt and Numair get here, we could work on getting Numair to sing it. I'm sure you could convince him, Daine."

Daine seemed to swallow hard. "I'm not sure I'm speaking to Numair, Onua."

Onua looked surprised. "What?"

"Does this have something to do with your argument with Alanna?" Buri asked pointedly.

"Yes," Daine said simply. Onua could tell by her tone that she didn't want to discuss it any further than that. Cearl also seemed to know when it was best to keep silent.

Daine scratched the back of her neck uncomfortably and stared into the fire. Buri observed her and said, "You know, you do that same motion nearly every night. Do you have an insect bite or something back there?"

"I think it's the clasp on my chain. There are moments it really bugs me. But I don't want to disturb it. The clasp stopped floating forward recently and I don't know why but I don't wanna' change it."

"Well it can't hurt to look, right?" Onua asked. Both Buri and Onua stood and walked behind Daine, who lifted her hair so they could see better."

"My, that's an unusual clasp," Buri said.

"I don't think this is a normal part of the clasp," Onua answered. "You would put a jewel in front, not the back."

"What?" Daine asked incredulously.

"There's a ruby on the clasp," Onua answered.

That was all she needed to hear. Daine removed the chain and stared at the ruby. "I've seen this stone before."

Onua tried to think if she had seen a ruby cut in that odd shape anywhere. "Numair has a pair of rings like that doesn't he? Maybe he can tell you where it comes from."

Daine looked extremely angry. "Of course he can tell me. I'm fair certain he _used_ to have a pair of rings like this. I've only seen one lately. Where do you think the other went?" She nearly spat the last sentence.

Buri looked impressed and Onua didn't know what to think of the expression on Daine's face.

Cearl spoke at last, "This is a protective stone. It is what you use against poison. Have you been in threat of poisoning recently?"

"Carthak," all three women answered at once.

"Could I have been wearing this without knowing since Carthak?" Daine asked.

"Why would he do that without telling you?" Buri asked.

"Because he's an over-protective dolt who thinks I'm too childish to understand danger." She looked livid.

"Calm down, Daine. I'm sure he had his reasons. He would never intentionally hurt you."

"No, there's always a reason." Daine growled. "Except I am smart enough to understand and there's no reason for him to keep things like this from me."

Onua thought to herself, _So much for meditation tonight._ But a sound behind her drew her attention to the tree-line. Alanna came tripping through looking pale and sick. And Onua noticed that Darkmoon was gone.

"What ever has happened?" Onua cried.

"They were all dead, horses too. Something knocked me out and when I woke I went looking. They were just a short distance away and all slaughtered. I don't know where Darkmoon went. He might have run so I wouldn't be spotted."

She looked terribly cold and Daine, Buri and Onua began to scurry to bring blankets and tea to warm her. "Did you talk to Jon?" Onua asked.

"Yes. And I spoke to Numair too. They were riding hard out of the City of the Gods. We will probably meet up around dark tomorrow. I'm going to stick with you to warn the riders and talk to them about anything they've seen. Then I need to get back to Corus as quickly as possible."

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more questions than answers I know. Please review anyway.


	7. Chapter 7 Revelations

**Disclaimer: Once again I pause to remind you that this work of fantasy fiction is based off of the work of another – Tamora Pierce. The characters are the sole property of that highly talented individual except for the new ones and they don't count.**

_A/N: Okay, so I've confused some, bored others and worried still more. If you're still hanging in there, I thank you._

_1reallyblue1: Thanks for the compliments on the songs. Don't worry. People in love often fight. But they come through it if they really care about each other. It serves a wonderful purpose in this story. You'll just have to trust me._

_Nativewildmage: I love how many of us fanfiction fanatics are also musicians._

_Blackandwhiteroses: It's so funny that you think this is more action packed. Some readers are a little bored. I cannot tell you how grateful I am that you're hanging in there._

_Narm's Briton 44: You're an interesting and twisted individual. You love Numair, but keep him chained in your closet and you regularly kill him in your fics. You might want to wear a warning sign when you go on dates "Fun but could be hazardous"._

_Purple Eyed Cat: Darkmoon returns below!_

_Twilight Shades: You're a little psychic, twice!_

_Ethalas Tuath'an: I'm trying to figure out a way to send you the songs. I don't currently have them recorded electronically. If I figure it out, I'll send them. Give me time._

_Kit49: You are also a little psychic. You knew about Alanna in the chapter 5. Did you catch the little tiny detail that gives a clue to how? Also, it is so cool that there are so many musicians among us. I've been amazed at the response from the songs. And yes, size makes a difference to voice. For years scientists thought that Giraffes made no sound. They do, but it is so low it is hard for the human ear to hear. Long necks make for deep voices._

**And now**

**Chapter 7 - Revelations**

Alanna was clearly shaken. Buri and Onua went with her to wash up and discuss what she had seen. Cearl stayed politely out of the way, offering to clean up from dinner. Daine, in the meantime had been asked to see if she could find Darkmoon. She asked the owls around her for help but only the males could respond. It was incubation time for the females and they wouldn't leave their nests. Daine decided they were still the best animal for the job and chose to use the form of an eagle owl for her own search.

Once in the air, Daine was uncertain why she didn't use this shape more often. Capable of hearing a vole or mouse making the tiniest of noises from thirty feet above, owls had amazing hearing. Her eyesight was sharp as well. She saw in the dark better than most animals. And then there was the stealth factor. Owls are designed for silent flight. This made her current form perfect for spying or hunting where enemies were. She promised herself to remember all of this the next time she needed a form to spy in after dark.

She felt the chill night air rush through her feathers and she searched in grids to try and find Darkmoon, all the while calling to find him with her mind. After what felt like hours, she finally located the stallion in the trees. All his tack was still in place, but he seemed to have been splashed by blood, a fact that Daine couldn't quite reconcile. She landed lightly above him and called to him with her magic. _–Darkmoon! It's Daine. Alanna is worried about you. Why did you leave?-_

_-Alanna is not herself,-_ the horse answered. _–I don't like the fake one-_

_-I don't understand.-_ Daine answered. _–Are there two?-_

-_I don't understand either-_ Darkmoon retorted. _–I just don't like the fake one. She is cruel.-_

_-Come back to camp. You can move quietly. Tell me which one is there. I will hide you if it is the fake.-_ Daine didn't know what else to do. Horse sense would say that this was reasonable and she knew the stallion would agree.

They moved back through the night as silently as Darkmoon could travel. When they reached the edge of camp, Daine asked Darkmoon to hide in the trees and try to sense Alanna while she spoke to Cloud. Hopefully between the two horses they could come to a consensus over which Alanna was in camp. Then Daine flew into her tent and dressed. When she came out she nodded to Buri who had been on standing guard while they waited for Daine's return. "You can get some sleep, Buri, I'm going to talk to Alanna, even if I have to wake her.

Buri said, "I need to know what's going on anyway. I'll join you." They walked together to Alanna's tent, but she was not sleeping.

"Alanna," Daine began "I found Darkmoon."

"Oh, thank the Goddess! Where is he?"

"He ummm – doesn't want to come back unless he can be sure it is you. He said there was a fake you and he didn't like her."

Buri looked astonished and color drained from Alanna's face. She asked, "A fake me? There were two of us?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but I think so. Come talk to Cloud. He agrees that Cloud will know if it is you. And then, he will come back."

Alanna stood immediately to follow. "Oh, one more thing," Daine said, "Darkmoon has seen the fight close up. He has blood on him but it isn't his own. I checked him for wounds."

Buri, Alanna and Daine approached Cloud. It took only a moment for Cloud to look Alanna over before she agreed that Alanna was not an imposter. Darkmoon trotted out of the tree-line to Alanna and pushed his nose against her ear.

"He's glad that the real you is all right," Daine translated with a grin.

"Ask him what happened after I passed out."

Daine did so, but the horse nickered. –_It was terrible. I believed the fake was her. But she started killing. I don't want to think about it.- _Daine translated it. "I think he's a little traumatized."

"I might be too. Someone who looked exactly like me killed those men?"

"Looked and smelled exactly like you. Remember, that would be important to a horse."

"Goddess! I think I need to talk to Jon again. Wake Onua, would you? While we wait I want all of you in your own protective circle. If there's something wrong with me, I don't want you in danger."

"Onua is good, but not better than you, Alanna. If you wanted to undo her protective spell, you could easily do it," Buri pointed out.

"Should we ask Cearl for help?" Alanna suggested.

_-Either way you'll wake both-_ Cloud said sarcastically. Daine looked at her confused. "I don't understand." She was obviously tired. She had said it aloud.

"Don't understand what? Alanna is a lot more powerful than Onua," Buri said.

"Sorry, not that. Cloud said 'either way we'll wake both'."

_-Two leggers! You're a little slow, aren't you.-_ Cloud said acerbically.

Though only Daine heard Cloud's remarks, it seemed to hit them all at once. "Oh!" was the unanimous exclamation followed by equally unanimous blushes.

-----

The dungeon was dark and smelled of mildew. Jon ached when he realized that his friend was left to this environment every day. It was late, but there could be no help for the hour. "Raoul! Are you awake, my friend?"

He heard the large man sit up on the pallet in his cell. "I'm awake."

Jon lit a candle with his gift and the guard let him into the cell. The guard, Marek, then took stood outside the door with a sword as if to protect the king. "You may go," Jon told him.

"Sire?" Marek said nervously.

"Marek, I am a knight and a sorcerer. I was trained in hand to hand by a shang warrior and a rogue in addition to my knight training. This man is unarmed and has spent two days in a cell he can barely stand up in. I think I can defend myself."

Marek knew better than to argue. He removed himself from the cell block.

Jon sat down on the pallet next to Raoul. "How are you?" he asked sincerely.

Raoul ran a large hand through his filthy hair. "Sire, I don't know how to answer that."

"Sire? Suddenly you're being formal with me?"

There was a long pause and when Raoul spoke, his voice was soft and slow, as if he was trying to put Jon at ease. "This is a difficult situation, Jon. You are both my friend and my king. There is a small part of me angry at you for locking me away. I want to fight. I want to escape. The need for that has been so ingrained in me that I – when I first wake, my thoughts are to get out at any cost. And then I remember who put me in here and why. Those men – those boys – they were friends, Jon. They looked up to me and trusted me. I gave them advice, Jon – advice on women and diplomacy and horses. There is overwhelming evidence and yet I cannot imagine doing the things I am accused of doing. How do I reconcile this with my conscience?" He sighed heavily. "How am I? Not good."

Jon patted his hand. "I hate the need to follow the law by placing you here. You are one of my closest friends. I trust you with my life. I trust you with my _children's lives_. But I cannot argue with so many witnesses. Still, Thayet said something – that if we don't believe you would do anything like this of your own free will, then somehow it isn't your own free will. It's what I believe too. I know Duke Baird looked you over, but he is not the strongest mage I know. The strongest mage I know will return in a few days. Numair thinks, and I agree, that you may have been controlled by means of some spell or potion. And you may not be the only one. Alanna found an entire squad dead today. We don't know what killed them. But whoever it was can both wield a sword and use magic. Some were run through and others were burned with mage fire. Who does that sound like to you?"

"Any knight with magic from our year of training forward," Raoul answered. "But also, you all taught Numair sword fighting, as well as most of the other mages in the castle."

"Still, if you saw all eight members of the Own and their mounts dead on a hill side, and more than half of the men were cut down with swords and all of the horses, what would you think?"

"I would either think an army got to them or – among our own people -- Alanna," Raoul said, horror in his voice.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. If the numbers were the other way, more battle fire than sword, I might look to a mage. They would use their power primarily. Only Alanna would prefer the sword to the fire."

"But she's the one who reported to you?"

"She says she was knocked out. When she came to, Darkmoon was gone, so she walked to the top of the rise to try to see where Darkmoon might have run off to and found the bodies."

"Why didn't she follow the horse's tracks?"

"Well now, that's one of the weird things here. She says Darkmoon's tracks were all over the place. She said it was as if he had run in and out of the battle zone several times. Add that to the melt off and heavy stone content of that ridge and she can't find him. But what she also can't find is the missing hours. So I want to know, are there unaccounted hours in the days leading up to your capture?"

There was no hesitation. "Yes. A lot. I've been over it and over it and I can't account for more than half of the last week."

"And can you think of anything or anyone strange that you encountered just before that time?"

There was a long silence. "I saw a fox that was behaving unusually. Come to think of it, it was colored a bit unusually too, more brown than red. But as far as it's behavior, I thought it might be a friend of Daine's. Animals tend to act differently after becoming acquainted with her."

"What made its behavior so unusual?"

"Well, foxes don't usually like people. This one seemed to be following us. When we got into that battle with the stormwings by Queenscove, I could swear it was watching the action. Every other animal in the vicinity scattered and hid. But when we killed the last stormwing, I turned around and there he sat, just as proud as you please. He looked me right in the eye and then he disappeared."

"That is unusual." Jon stroked his beard. "It may help. And is the fox the only strange thing?"

"It's the only strange thing I can think of, but you know with magic it could be anything. If there is one thing I have learned by being around great mages, you just never can tell what will be important. With Duke Roger, our lack of interest was important. None of us saw that."

"You are right, of course." Jon stared at his hands. "Raoul, I wish I didn't have to leave you in here. It's a horrible place. Please know that I am working on this problem and I will find a way to justify and expedite your release. In the meantime, I will keep you in the loop. I will visit you nightly and tell you what progress we've made." He pulled two apples from his pocket and handed them to Raoul. "Apples usually aren't in the prisoner fare."

"Thank you," Raoul said bowing his head. "And thank you for believing in me. It means more to me than you could know.

As Jon stood to leave, he could see his large friend's eyes glisten and he thought maybe he did know.

------

Numair sat in his tent with a light stone trying to decipher more the _Power Codex._ He decided that he was going to translate every spell title and write the translation above so that he could find what he needed quickly. He was tired and should be sleeping, but a sinking feeling told him he was going to need some new tricks up his sleeve and soon.

He kept thinking back to his last conversation with Jon and Alanna and wondering if he had missed some little something. Alanna did not know how she had been knocked out. That was worrisome. She should have had a lump on her head if someone did it in the regular way. And if so, why did that someone leave her alive? They wouldn't. That didn't make sense. She could have been knocked out in a magical way, but she didn't mention her nose itching. Alanna had once told him that her nose always itched when magic was being used. And even so, the same problem would apply. If someone knocked her out, why leave her alive?

If someone had nothing to do with that, why did Alanna lose consciousness? In the same respect, that didn't make any sense either. He wished he ask someone.

Then there were Jon's concerns. What if the killer was Alanna? If someone had found a way to control Alanna, could Numair do what was necessary to stop her? She was like a fighting machine, amazing with weapons and strongly magical. She had the king's trust completely and she was like a sister to Numair. If he had to destroy her, could he? The answer was no -- he could not destroy her and ever be all right again. So he would have to find another way. He would have to be prepared to take her down magically. And that was no short order.

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okay, now review


	8. Chapter 8 Allies

**Disclaimer: Tortall and its characters are the sole property of Tamora Pierce. The additional characters are too insignificant to sue for.**

_A/N: There are more twists and turns to this plot than to a slinky. Watch it take a nasty turn below._

_Nativewildmage: I hope they don't avoid practice. And I'm so glad you liked it._

_Kit49: Okay, you are just way too psychic. And I can't tell you whether Numair gets possessed or not because it would spoil the story completely for you. As far as shady goes, just remember what the Goddess said in MC and you'll know all you need to about Cearl._

_Purple Eyed Cat: Yeah, this is probably the most complex story I've devised. If it weren't for a few comedy side kicks (Cloud, Kit, etc.) it might be too heavy._

_X17SkmBdrchiczxx: Ummmm, two Alanna's was never confirmed. Ask yourself how the other Alanna came to be riding Darkmoon._

_**And now**_

**Chapter 8 – Allies**

The stormwing perched on the edge of a rough tree stump waiting. He disliked waiting. It had taken two months to start to regain a role of leadership. He was good at leading. Many people and immortals fell into line without questioning him. It had been so when he was emperor of Carthak and it was so now. However, some followers liked to keep him waiting. He growled at the night. But finally he heard the fox approaching.

"It's about time!" he yelled haughtily. "It worked?" The fox merely nodded.

Ozorne laughed with vicious mirth. "The large knight is in the king's dungeon. Do we let them think him cured?" Again the fox nodded.

"Good, good." Ozorne's eyes narrowed and his metal feathers rustled slightly. "Was the lady knight hard to infect?"

The fox shook its head and made a weird bark that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.

"Now, we need a few bigger targets. The wildmage?"

The fox nodded and gestured with its head toward a clearing where Daine, Onua, Cearl, Buri and Alanna had set up camp.

"Did the king recall Draper to join them?"

The fox nodded and sneezed, then made that weird laugh again.

"Will Draper be difficult to control?"

The fox resumed his human shape. "Perhaps, milord. And I would like to test the wildmage a little. I need another immortal foe. Make them expendable but difficult to kill. I want it done before the other mages arrive though. Remember there are currently five in this party." He laughed sycophantically before morphing back into the fox.

"It will be attended to. I shall place them in their path before they encounter the riders."

The fox nodded. He then waved a paw and bowed, before turning to leave.

"There will be a unique place for you in my new palace when this is all done," Ozorne said. He then flew off into the night.

------

Onua awoke to find herself alone. She looked around for Cearl and finally decided he must have gone to the stream to wash up. Memories of the intimacy of the night before drifted through her mind. She stretched lazily and began to dress. Getting dressed in a one-man tent is never an easy feat. Her wiggling around alerted Tahoi that she was awake. The big dog entered the tent sulking.

"Morning, Tahoi," her voice was low and hoarse as was usual when she first woke up. She reached out and petted his nose. "You are so used to defending me that you don't know what you're about, do you?" she asked him. "Try to be a little friendly to him, for me?"

Tahoi snuffled and headed back out the tent. Onua poked her head out to watch him go and saw him wiggle his way into Daine's tent. "Traitor," she muttered in his direction. Then good smells greeted her nose. It was supposed to be her turn to cook, so this surprised her. Looking back to the fire ring, she saw Cearl was making breakfast.

He smiled warmly and flirted, "You look almost as good dressed as undressed." He stirred the pan over the fire. "I thought I'd surprise you with breakfast, but you woke up too fast."

"How long have you been up?" Onua struggled to ask around a yawn.

"About an hour and a half. Your dog tried to crawl in with us and growled and snapped at me. He was trying to be protective. I'm sorry to say I used a paralyzing spell to avoid his teeth, but he wasn't hurt. Daine can probably confirm that when she wakes up." He looked humble and Onua thought it was endearing.

"Tahoi seems fine. I'm glad you were able to keep him from biting without harming him."

She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, peeking into the pan as she did so. "Where ever did you find eggs?"

"Oh, they're one of my specialties." She saw white magic with black sparkles swirl in his palm and an egg appeared out of thin air. Stunned, she said, "Do you know your gift is the exact opposite of Numair's in color?"

He looked surprised. "I hadn't remembered that about him."

"And I don't think he's ever tried conjuring eggs. I have seen him conjure flowers and heard of him conjuring a jewel, but not food items."

"It takes a lot of practice to make them taste right. The first few I conjured were rather bland and smelled terrible. But I didn't give up." His smile was infectious and Onua laughed. "Why would he conjure flowers? And conjuring a jewel would be difficult. Was it an actual stone or…"

"You mages, always the academic curiosity."

He laughed, set the pan down and turned in the circle of her arms, returning the embrace. "Yes, I like to learn. But I have a healthy biological curiosity too." He leaned in to kiss her and everything was forgotten except for him as she pressed against him, hands roaming. But then she heard a throat cleared behind them. She turned to see Alanna, waiting outside their barrier.

Cearl and Onua both blushed brightly. Cearl dropped his magic barrier and let Alanna join them at the fire.

Before long, Buri had joined them too. They ate breakfast and joked a bit, intending to let Daine sleep after her long search for Darkmoon the night prior. So they were surprised when she came walking over from where the horses were tethered. "Tahoi woke me," she answered their unspoken question, so I snuck over to visit Darkmoon and see if he was feeling better and could tell me anymore about yesterday."

"Did he?" Alanna asked. There was urgency in her voice.

"Umm, we could talk privately."

"No, everyone should know what's going on. I might be a danger to you."

Daine looked slightly hesitant, but eventually bowed to the severe expression Alanna was giving her. "He told me that the fake _you_ rode him out yesterday." Her words were slow and cautious and she looked at Alanna with sympathy. "I think that kills the imposter idea. It seems you were lying on the ground because that's where he dumped you."

Alanna swallowed hard. "All right, well there's something wrong with me then." She stared hollowly at the ground and said softly, "I killed those men." Tears ran down her cheeks.

Daine rushed to put her arms around Alanna, and Buri reached over to pat her arm. Onua wanted to comfort Alanna but thought it might have the opposite effect right now. "Let's not hear any more of this poison," Onua said. "Someone did this to you. That means _they _killed our friends. _They_ killed the horses. Don't you go blaming yourself for the work of another."

Daine nodded agreement. Buri said, "I know you, Alanna. You would never do anything like that of your own free will."

Alanna looked at Cearl and said, "Your magic has returned completely, right?"

"Yes ma'am." He answered.

"Then I expect you to bind me. I'll need to be able to ride so I'm not a hindrance. I know Numair can do it. I assume you can too."

"What binding spell did you have in mind?"

"Block in my magic and chain my hands. You can spell my leather armor if you prefer. I'll wear that today. I'll give my weapons to Buri."

"Consider it done." Cearl turned to get up, but came face to face with Tahoi. The big dog growled, hackles raised.

"Stop it," Daine and Onua commanded together. The dog looked mournfully at Daine.

"That's strange," Daine said.

"What?" Alanna and Onua asked together.

"Tahoi says he doesn't trust you, Cearl. He says you're a sneaky two-legger. Did you paralyze him this morning?"

Cearl blushed. "Yes, I had to. I didn't hurt him did I?"

"No, but he didn't like it. It made him sleep and he doesn't like being forced to sleep when he's watching out for Onua."

"I'd like to be friends but I'm a little afraid of his teeth." The women all laughed.

------

Elyra gathered her courage and tried the spell again. She had spoken to Lindhall by fire only one hour ago to learn how it was to be done. It seemed simple enough when he explained it. And yet, she wasn't getting the hang of it.

She put her palm to Ilane of Mindelan's head again. "Think of that day one more time, please. Try to remember as clearly as possible." The tall blond woman scrunched up her face in concentration. And at last, Elyra felt the memory enter her own mind. "I've got it, finally. I'm so sorry I'm very new to this. But I promise I'll return it once we've done what we needed."

"My husband trusts you, so I trust you," Ilane said simply. Elyra was amazed at how composed the woman was. She really had learned the Yamani smooth expressions, something Elyra didn't always do well.

"I need to practice the projection spell a little and then I'll be ready to face him." By him, she referred to her brother-in-law, the soon-to-be emperor of Yamani. "Don't worry. I will do my part. Tortall has come to mean a great deal to me and my children. We will make this treaty stand."


	9. Chapter 9 Whose Side Are You On

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Tortall books – Tamora Pierce does. I did not write the Tortall books – Tamora Pierce did. I cannot publish a Tortall book – Tamora Pierce can. 'Nough said?**

_A/N: I figure after this chapter you will all really hate me or love the story. I don't think there will be any more lukewarm reactions. I have been wrong before though. _

_1reallyblue1: So you think Tahoi is tipping you off, huh? Maybe._

_Narms Briton 44: I was just teasing, sheesh. Oh and if you recall, the fact that he was crying over his horse is what got her. She's a sucker for a horse lover. But you'll be shocked by the end – Onua said she wanted someone horse hearted, but she was never interested in Stephen (who is about as horse hearted as you get), so obviously it isn't her only criteria._

_Twilight Shades: Yes, it is scary having her bound, especially since the readers all know that Ozorne is sending something after them in a couple of hours. Don't worry. I won't let Alanna die._

_Kit49: The last part was Elyra trying to keep the treaty. If you read PotS, you know that Princess Chisakami has to become part of the deal. She was making a movie of sorts to remind them about what the Mindelans did for them. You get the heads up because you're such a loyal reader._

_Confused Knight: I'm so glad you decided to read and reply. I'm going to make Numair a flute player too, but as a hobby. By description he has the mouth for it. _

_Purple Eyed Cat: Don't worry. Numair is in this chapter. I'm glad you're addicted again._

_Nativewildmage: I'm so glad someone grasped how horrible it would be to know you killed your friends under someone else's control. Though Alanna and Raoul will be freed, healing will take longer._

And now…..

**Chapter 9 – Whose Side Are You On?**

The former Lord Sinthya had made good progress. He thought he might actually reach Corus without incident until he came across Duke Gareth of Naxen. The elderly gentleman and his wife were bound for Corus to spend the Mid-Winter Festival with their friends after a southern visit to some old friends. Sinthya had hoped he would not be recognized. It had been a couple of years. Those hopes were crushed when he heard the Duke say, "Peter of Sinthya, you are wanted by King Jonathan the Fourth for acts of treason to the crown. I arrest you in the name of the king."

Anyone who thought the elderly gentleman had lost his touch with a sword in the time that had passed would have been astounded that morning. The former Lord drew his blade with the intention of defending himself, but barely had opportunity to posture before he found his blade flying across the road. He was bound and placed in the back of the Duke and Duchess' wagon.

------

George had been summoned to the small village of Buzzard Rock on an urgent call. It seemed the treaty with the griffins had disintegrated. Without Daine, he was not sure how he would sort it out. He sent for Tkaa, but the Basilisk was still a few days out. The people of Buzzard Rock had evacuated to Pirates Cove and with some trepidation, George had accompanied a few of his men to try to reason with the Griffins.

Upon their arrival, the village looked like a ghost town. It was much as Alanna had described it two and a half years ago when they had first encountered the griffins. No sooner had George and his men reached the edge of the village, then four Griffins came swooping down screaming their anger.

George never got used to seeing these magnificent creatures. Their feline bodies were feathered in gold blended seamlessly with the wings, heads and beaks of an eagle. He could remember everything Daine had told him. Griffins could somewhat understand the Tortallan language but only big ideas. They defended their little ones like any parents defended a child.

George ordered his men to keep their weapons down. He could see they were nervous but he had only taken the best trained from his fief. As the largest Griffin approached, George stepped forward, head bowed, wondering if this would cost him his neck. The Griffin dropped to the ground in front of him and roared. The other three moved in like sentries behind him. George lifted a sword still in the scabbard from his belt and laid it at the feet of the Griffin.

"You know I can't lie in front of ye'. I don't know how much you'll understand. We don't want to have ta' kill ye'. We will if it is necessary, but we don't want ta'."

The Griffin seemed to calm a little. It roared something. The sound was so loud it made George's ears ache.

"What has caused this? Why did ye' break your treaty? Is there some way ye' can show us?"

George lifted his face to look at the Griffin and searched for some understanding. He saw tears drip from the Griffin's eyes.

"Somethin' bad has happened, somethin' you are grievin', yes?"

The Griffin appeared to nod its head. George was amazed. "When last a mortal spoke to ye', we understood that you could only grasp a little. Do ye' understand more now?"

The Griffin nodded. George smiled with relief. "So if ye' understand me, I jest need to work to understand ye'."

The Griffin nodded again. More to himself than to the griffin, George said, "Why would I grieve? If something happened to Alanna or one of the children..." He felt a paw push him and saw a nod. The men behind him leveled their weapons. "No!" he yelled. "He's trying to tell me." Turning back to the Griffin he said, "Did ye' lose someone ye' love?"

The Griffin nodded and more tears streamed from his eyes.

"I'm sorry for your loss." He meant it sincerely and more importantly, the griffin realized he couldn't lie.

"Was it a mate?" The Griffin shook his head. "Was it a lil' one?" George wondered for a moment if their young were called cubs or fledglings. But he saw the griffin had nodded, so it didn't matter.

"Did ye' think one of us did it?" The Griffin nodded and roared angrily again.

"I have no knowledge or such an act." The Griffin looked startled. "If it was one of my people, they will be punished. Our treaty makes ye' an ally which means it's treason to hurt ye'."

The Griffin took off and flew toward the edge of town. It looked back at George and he got the idea that he was meant to follow. So he ordered his men forward. When they arrived at the cliff, they could see a small Griffin lay dead on a large boulder. It had been gutted and not enough blood covered the stone. George looked from the small, dead body to the large griffin and became enraged. He had heard there were spells that used Griffin blood. Clearly someone had used this baby to get it, leaving it's body disrespectfully to the vultures. This had to be the work of a human and probably of a mage.

Barely containing his anger he turned to the Griffin and said, "This is the work of a beastie of my kind. We will find who done it, on my honor." He bowed to the Griffin and then turned to his men. "Keep the villagers in Pirates Swoop until each is cleared from this beastly act. We're huntin' a mage, sure as the Crooked God cheats. I gotta' notify the King and my Lioness. When we find the killer, he will be brought to the Griffins for their justice."

The men's eyes widened, but they bowed acknowledgement. The Griffins seemed to accept this. The large one bowed his head to George. That was all George needed to see. He and his men headed back to Pirates Swoop.

------

Things had gone smoothly that morning for Daine, Onua, Alanna, Buri and Cearl. They had chatted about unimportant things in a friendly manner for the two hour ride. Only Alanna remained silent. Daine hated seeing Alanna bound and hated even more that Alanna was aching from the newfound knowledge that she had killed those men while Daine could do nothing to help.

They were expecting to meet up with Numair in the evening and the riders somewhere around the same time. Daine was not looking forward to seeing Numair again. She was still very hurt that he had asked Alanna to enter her mind without her knowledge. The ruby was a small thing that just added to the sting of being treated like a child.

As they came up over a rise covered in snow, Daine felt the wrongness of a stormwing. She warned the others and waited, bow at the ready, to see if it was friend or foe. The approaching stormwing was one she had never seen before. He dropped to a level where he could look them in the faces and smiled, his dirty teeth flashing. "You're the wildmage. I am Lokesh Bonewalker. He made a weird floating bow. Queen Barzha Razorwing asked me to bring you. She and Rikash need your help."

"How far?" Daine asked.

"Just over the next hill." The stormwing hovered in the air, wings flapping, waiting for them to follow. Daine turned to the others and, as one, they nodded agreement.

The riders picked up the pace dropping through a snowy valley and coming to the next hill. Daine felt a new wrongness, like she had never really encountered before. She stopped Cloud and turned to the others. "What are we facing?" she snapped at Lokesh. The stormwing merely laughed and raced into the air and out of sight. The wrongness swarmed around Daine like a wave of nausea.

"What is it, Daine?" Onua asked warily.

"I'm not sure," She answered nervously. "I feel the wrongness of immortals but maybe – maybe there's a bunch of different ones. The kind of mixture I would never have imagined and at least…"

The enemy suddenly appeared from all sides. They had run right into a trap of the most unusual mixture of immortals. Two were flesh-eating unicorns, blocking escape on the right and stamping angrily. To the left, four spidrens dropped from the trees, webbing through to trap anything that tried to run that way. In front of them, three ogres were standing with axes, looking menacing. She felt hurroks above them. Lokesh reappeared at the rear and seemed to be coordinating the whole attack. And behind him, was this a giant? He was roughly like a really large human but slightly out of proportion and color. He looked to be about twenty feet tall. Lokesh taunted, "I've caught myself a pretty bunch of mortals. My emperor will be pleased."

"Cearl, let Alanna loose!" Onua urged.

Cearl nodded and did it. But he looked very, very afraid.

Alanna took immediate charge. Purple fire attacked the stormwing. Startled, Lokesh fell immediately. Now that the attackers were missing their leader, Alanna readied her force, "Onua, keep those unicorns back with your bow. Buri, spidrens. Cearl, hurroks. Use mage fire, it works best. Daine, can you shift to something large and armored and keep that giant busy for a few minutes. I'll start with the ogres and do what I can to shield us all. Keep the horses to the center until we can get them free. Then Daine, I'm trusting you to keep them safe."

Daine dropped from Cloud's back and shifted to the shape of a large rhinoceros. The giant roared angrily, but seemed shocked by the tiny girl becoming a large mammal before his eyes. He stood gaping.

Daine tried to keep track of the battle behind her but it was just too much. Between easing the horses, chasing the Giant, and dealing with the poor eye sight that was inherent to rhinos, there was little else she could think about. She did turn at one point to see Cearl trying to blow up a hurrok. She was shocked at how slow he was. She knew that Numair would have been helping one of the others by now. But then Numair had told her that most of his practical magic had been taught him by Jon.

The giant carried a piece of a tree stump. It was so large that when it hammered the ground, the whole area shook. Daine the rhino, stayed out of his way long enough to realize that, while he was large, he wasn't particularly agile. His swings were lumbering and slow. She charged just after he swung the stump and hit him just above the knee. He dropped, almost in slow motion. Still Daine barely made it out of the way. Switching to a grizzly bear, Daine swatted at the giant's head as he lay dazed. Her huge, razor sharp claws cut him deeply. He cried in pain and the sound made her ears ache.

She dived out of the way of a large fist and saw that Buri was struggling with the two remaining spidrens. Her attention drawn for a moment too long, the giant reached her and connected with his stump. The pain was excruciating. She cried out and animals from everywhere swarmed the monster. It was then that she realized she was caught in the spidren web.

She cried her frustration and tried to decide what course of action to take. Then she realized that Alanna was not fighting on their side anymore. Alanna's purple magic held Buri trapped and was strangling her. Daine put out a cry to the animals to help Buri if they could. And then she heard Spots.

It was over in a heartbeat. When Numair topped the rise and saw the battle, rage rolled over his face. Black fire shot out from every direction, incinerating immortals and trapping Alanna and Cearl.

Just behind him, Harailt and Lindhall topped the rise, too late to do anything. Numair dropped from Spots and raced to where Daine had been trapped in the webbing. But the web evaporated with the death of the spidrens.

"Daine! Are you hurt?" He pulled his cloak free and dropped it on her so she could change back. "What's happened here?"

Daine shifted back to herself and said, "Why have you trapped Cearl? He was helping us."

"Oh," Numair answered, confused. He let the other mage go and reached to help Daine up.

"I don't need help. Check on Buri," Daine snapped.

Numair looked hurt and confused, but did as he was told. Buri stood, coughing. Onua ran to Cearl and hugged him tightly. Kit jumped down from her special saddle bag on Spots and rushed to Daine, trilling and squeaking her worry and fright. Alanna remained where she was like an absurd statue. There was a strange emptiness in her eyes.

"What has happened here?" Lindhall asked.

Daine walked behind the trees to get dressed, leaving Onua and Buri to explain as best they could. Daine was very grateful for the rescue and at the same time was angry at the situation. Numair showed up like a knight in shining armor to rescue her – the damsel in distress. And yet again, the situation made it impossible for her to show him she could take care of herself.

Cloud's mindspeak interrupted her musings. _–You weren't fair, you know. He was just watching out for you.-_

_-Don't you start defending Storkman!- _Daine retorted silently.

_-Don't tell me who I can and can't defend-_ the mare shot back. _–We're all lucky he showed up when he did. And like it or not, you did need help.-_

_-I can't talk to you when you're like this- _Daine fired back. She could not believe that Cloud would take his side.

_-When you aren't so angry at him, you will realize you're being a foolish two legger.-_ It was already true. But Daine wasn't ready to let go of her anger yet and she resented Cloud for being right.

In the clearing, Lindhall and Numair were examining Alanna, who was still frozen.

"Why hasn't she broken free?" Lindhall asked.

"My best guess would be that she doesn't want to," Numair answered, looking contemplative. "This could mean that she's back to herself again. Do you think we should test that theory?"

Lindhall nodded. "But I think we should get everyone back out of the way.

Without any discussion, Onua, Cearl and Buri moved back to where Harailt was standing. Daine moved in behind them to watch.

The spell was lifted and Alanna stared at Numair with the most pitiable expression on her face. He pulled her into a tight hug and there she stayed for the longest time. He embraced her while she sobbed unrestrained into his chest.

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There you go. Please respond.


	10. Chapter 10 Angst

**Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce owns the rights to her characters, places and magical devices from the various books that surround the Tortall area. I borrowed and twisted them for my own nefarious purposes. Muhuhahahaha.**

_A/N: So I didn't scare everyone off huh? Yeah! Forgive me if I whoop. Trust me there are reasons for everything. But you cannot find out if you don't keep reading. By the way, in time line this is December before the Immortals war. The Unicorn Fever will happen in Maelstrom (next story). But you'll get the fall of the barrier in this story._

_And, I know many people think that Cloud hates Numair. I know better. If she hated him she would have chomped him in the end of ROTG. So you'll see a little of that in this. Feel free to pelt me with disagreements._

_Kit49: The ending was kind of heart-wrenching, wasn't it? There is more gut-twisting to come too. Numair had some great clues about what's really going on and doesn't realize it. George, as usual, was right on target. He is hunting a mage. I'm glad you like the characterization. A few don't and are getting tired of all the emotions. I'm glad you're still hanging in there._

_Nativewildwage: Glad you loved it. Poor Alanna and Raoul though._

_Narm's Briton 44: Ye of little faith. I did that little scene for a reason although it would be a normal response. He's there, she's devastated. I think I've got the measure of them both. Numair can be very anti-social because of his focus on learning. When he is social, his handful of friends are everything in the world to him. Alanna, as strong as she is, cries often. In this situation, she would cry and he would comfort and Buri gets to see it all the wrong way. By the way, Cearl is one of those old fashioned names that I did research to come up with. It is pronounced See- rul. Onua never said she was in love, just lust. It is consistent with the laissez-faire attitude toward sex of the middle ages. Onua is not a noble, therefore she can canoodle to her heart's delight without repercussions._

_Jules-Gemma: Thanks!_

_Purple Eyed Cat: The attack didn't come out of thin air. Ozorne and the fox planned it._

_Twilight Shades: Killing someone anyone you care about would be awful. Knowing you're doing it and cannot stop yourself – that's the worst part. _

_1reallyblue1: Numair is good, but he still needs information to figure out this mess. Don't worry, it's coming in unusual ways. If he thinks about it though, his reaction in that battle was a big clue. The problem is that he reacted automatically, and his thought process was in auto-drive. Give him time._

_Tarabear03: Thank you so much._

_**And now**_

**Chapter 10 – Angst**

Despite the need to meet the seventh riders, they decided to set up camp. Numair, Harailt and Lindhall examined Alanna privately in a tent made larger by magic. Buri sat nervously attending to tack with Daine's help. Cearl opened the book he had said distracted him before the spidren attack and started to read and Onua began making lunch. She looked from Buri to Daine, worried. "Are you two really alright?"

Buri's voice was hoarse. "Yes, I'm fine."

Daine chimed in, "I'm a little bruised but fine. Don't start fretting like him." She pointed to the tent where the mages were.

Kit and Tahoi were playing an entertaining game of tag around the fire pit. The little dragon's scales were purple – a sure fire sign of mischievous intent. "Mind your manners, Kit," Daine said warningly.

"I'm worrying about the riders," Buri said. "I know we're close. We've already seen two nasty groups of beasts. I hate sitting here like this."

"Try to think about something else," Onua said sagely.

"Like what? I'm not qualified to theorize about what's happening here. I don't know what made one of the people I respect the most turn and attack me."

Daine patted Buri's arm. "She would never do anything like that if she had a choice. Numair will sort it out."

"I thought you were mad at him," Onua said with a smile.

"I am," Daine replied stubbornly. "But I do know he'll figure this out. Either that or drive us all mad mumbling about it." All three women giggled at that.

"Has he been unusually preoccupied lately?" Buri asked.

"Why do you ask?" Onua returned with a curious expression.

"I was thinking of that song, the second one. Does that sound to you like something a person could write just trying to make up what it feels like to be twisted up about someone or…" She dropped off.

Onua looked thoughtful. "I never really thought about it much. I don't suppose it is. It seems like it's something one would need inspiration for." She grinned at Buri in an almost impish way. "Do you think Numair's finally fallen for someone?"

Buri looked worried. "You're not thinking about all the words, are you?"

Daine seemed to be giving Buri rapt attention. Onua shook her head solemnly and Buri apparently took that as her answer.

"It says 'everything that cannot be', remember." Responding to the confused looks around her, Buri sighed exasperatedly. "What kind of woman could Numair possibly love and not have? He's got half of the court fawning over him every time he's in Corus."

Daine looked astonished. "I can't imagine any single woman he couldn't have except you two."

Buri and Onua both laughed at that for a moment and then the laughter died away. "Not single?" Onua asked.

Buri nodded, looking grave. Most unhelpfully at that moment, Numair emerged from the tent and walked behind it, wiping his eyes. Onua looked at Daine and Buri, both of whom were staring at him. Cearl was still absorbed in his book. "I just don't think it's like that," Onua said firmly. "Yes, they are close, but it's more like siblings."

Buri looked skeptical and added "Doesn't that song say something about _her_ having a bad temper?" Daine looked like she'd been slapped. And suddenly an odd feeling crept over Onua. She had been worrying about Daine having a crush on Numair. Suddenly, she was more worried that Numair might want someone else. All of the age difference between the two really didn't seem to matter. They were right together. They finished each other's sentences. They made each other laugh. These were some of the things she wanted for her two friends and it suddenly occurred to her that they gave it to each other. The revelation was shocking.

------

Numair walked to his pack and dug around until he found his mage pouch. He pulled out a small package of Sassapen powder. He walked over to the fire where Buri, Onua, Cearl and Daine were sitting to get some hot water. The ladies seemed to be eyeing him. "I've no answers yet, other than that there is a trace of magic. It's strange though," he said.

Cearl looked up from his book, concerned. "Is she safe to be around us?"

The question caught Numair by surprise and he was a little put off. He thought to himself, _If it were up to you to protect the group, no._ He chided himself for thinking such rude thoughts. "I'll see to that."

"What's this stuff," Buri asked, pointing to the pouch in his hand.

To his delight it was Daine that answered, "Sassapen Powder. It causes dreamless sleep." He reached over to tweak her nose and she jerked away. Surprised, he went back to making the tea.

He looked at Daine cautiously. He had no idea what he'd done, but he could see that her temper was bubbling in her blue-gray eyes. "She needs a real rest. This is eating her alive. She actually doesn't even want to talk to George. She's that ashamed. I thought a little dreamless sleep would be good for her." He stirred some of the powder into a cup of hot water and carried it back to the tent.

Inside, Alanna sat with her arms wound around herself while Lindhall tried to talk to her. Harailt was standing by the opening looking nervous.

"I want you to drink this, Alanna," Numair said and handed her the cup. She looked at him with a mixture of sorrow and wonder in her eyes. "It's Sassapen. You'll sleep hard and not dream."

Alanna took the cup. "And when I wake what will keep me from hurting anyone I care about?"

"I will, Alanna. You're an amazing fighter and you have a strong gift. But you can't take me in a magical fight and you know it. So stop fretting." He tried to smile.

"You didn't promise what I asked of you."

"I won't either," he said firmly. He had made up his mind before he ever arrived and he wasn't about to back down now. "Drink up," he ordered. She put the cup to her mouth and began to sip.

"I'll stay while she goes to sleep," Lindhall said, looking sympathetically at Numair.

"Thank you," he returned.

Harailt and Numair walked back out together. Numair looked over at Daine who was avoiding his gaze. He didn't know what was wrong but thought it was time he found out.

Numair walked back over to the fire where Daine was sitting. "Something has you nettled, Magelet. Can we discuss it?"

She stood hesitantly. "I'm not very sure I want to talk to you."

"Well, that's hardly a way to settle anything, is it?" He heard Cloud whicker from behind them and wondered if that was an agreement or disagreement. Then he saw a strange sight. Daine glared at Cloud. "Are you okay?"

"Suddenly I can't sit by a fire without you supervising?" she snapped.

"What is this animosity? I've barely arrived." He paused a moment and added, "I just don't usually see you glower at Cloud."

She began to walk toward the horses and he followed. Even her pace was angry. "Daine," he started and put his hand on her shoulder. She turned and slapped him hard.

"Don't touch me unless you're invited." The look of fierceness in her eyes stung worse than his cheek.

He put his hand to his face where she had struck. He could feel finger welts swelling in the skin. "Whatever have I done to deserve this?" He couldn't believe how much his voice shook as he asked, and he was ashamed of it. He knew it was fear. He was afraid this would mark of the end of their friendship.

"You told Alanna to mess with my mind and not tell me." He looked at her blankly and she screamed her frustration. "You wanted her to add her magic to the barrier in my head and you didn't trust me to know about it."

It was true. He had done exactly that. Numair swallowed hard. He tried to answer but couldn't. So he nodded.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "And what was this about?" She held up the ruby that he had put on her chain clasp to protect her from poisons.

"I – I didn't know how Ozorne would go after you. I put – I know I didn't tell you. It did help. It's why you woke up so quickly from all the dreamrose." Anger flickered in Daine's eyes like lightening. "I'm sorry you were hurt." He swallowed hard again.

"You think it's that easy, don't you? You'll just apologize and all will be forgiven. I'll let you go back to treating me like I can't take care of myself. And you can come charging after me everywhere I go playing hero."

"Playing hero? Is that what you really think?" Numair retorted. He was starting to lose his own temper.

"I am not a child, Numair. I can understand 'danger' when I'm in it."

"No, you're not a child. And until right now, you've never acted like one." She tried to slap him again and this time he caught her wrist. "Maybe you have every right to be angry at me for what I did, but you're being very inappropriate right now. One of my closest friends just asked me to kill her if she does anything else to endanger someone she cares about. So right now I can't handle hatred from another. You can scream at me later." He felt a tug on his elbow and realized that Cloud had captured his sleeve with her teeth. He let Daine's arm go. "Sorry, Cloud." He turned and stalked off into the trees, leaving Daine staring after him.

He didn't dare wander far, in case he was needed. But he didn't want Daine to know how much she'd hurt him. He circled the camp but stayed behind the trees for a while, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his chest. It was a little hard to breathe. Then he realized he hadn't yet spoken to Jon.

He climbed a hillside and started a small fire in another clearing. When Jon appeared in the fire, he filled him in on everything that had happened during the fight with the immortals and what they discovered in examining Alanna. Numair also told him how to look for the same in Raoul.

"What is your best guess?" Jon asked when Numair finished.

"Magic like this is something highly unusual. It may be immortal magic, like a stormwing can cast or a dragon, even. I wonder, have you asked Tkaa at all?"

Jon rubbed his beard. "Do you know I hadn't even thought of it? He's at the university. I can get him in to see Raoul tonight."

"I think I'll ask Kit to look at Alanna, too. Although she's just a baby, she surprises me sometimes."

Jon nodded. "That's good, Numair. At least it gives us a new avenue to work from. Something else you should know – George found a slain baby griffin. It had been exsanguinated. He is hunting the perpetrator. Both he and I have heard that griffin blood can be used in spells, but it isn't common magic. No one here has been able to come up with a spell that might use it."

Numair felt himself pale. "Jon, that's it. This spell has immortal blood. Mithros! I need a library. See what Tkaa knows of these spells. Tell him I think we are looking for an altered-personality spell. And try – try Myles. He reads up on things like this. Also, I know George is hunting for the killer, but I may need him. Alanna may need him."

The concern in Jon's eyes deepened. "Is she…"

"Jon, she cannot handle the things she's done alone. I can only comfort her so much. She needs George. She needs to know that _he_ can forgive this before she can begin to forgive herself. I also don't think it is wise to leave Raoul where he is. I'm not suggesting you turn your back on him. He is probably still dangerous. But get him up where he doesn't have only his own mind for company. If you need to protect yourself, use a paralyzing spell. It has been very effective here."

Jon nodded. "Keep up the good work, Numair. We need Alanna and Raoul back on our side."

"You know, whoever devised this plan is very shrewd. We need to keep an eye on your best fighters. They seem to be the targets."

"Well, in that case watch yourself and watch Daine. If I were an enemy, you are two people I would want cleared out of my path first."

"I don't think Daine will let me watch out for her anymore," Numair answered almost sarcastically.

Jon lifted one eyebrow. "Trouble?"

"You know me, Jon. I can irritate the kindest of spirits."

Jon laughed.

When Numair returned to camp, he found that Daine had flown off to search for the riders. Everyone in camp had heard the argument and were giving Numair a wide girth. He didn't feel like talking with anyone human, so he returned to the horses. He figured he'd brush Spots down and Darkmoon too. Daine's many lectures about caring for his horse had really taken hold of him.

Cloud eyed him as he walked over. "If you want to bite me, go ahead." To his surprise Cloud butted her head against his shoulder. "Don't tell me you'll forgive me when she can't." Cloud turned her tail to him and chuffed. "Yeah, that's what I thought you'd say," he added sarcastically. "But Cloud, she needs looking after right now. For that matter, so do I. I don't know how this happened to Alanna, but I know that if it got Daine too or me, a lot of damage could be done. Watch out for her, okay? If you see anything strange, let us know, preferably not with your teeth." The horse turned back to face him and whinnied loudly, lifting her head as she did so. "Friends?" he asked. She looked at him like she might be thinking about it. "That's good enough for now." He smiled and patted the mare on the nose.

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Okay, review.


	11. Chapter 11 Reinforcements

_**Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce did it. I borrowed and manipulated.**_

A/N:

_Twilight Shades: It made me sad too. But I promise to resolve it._

_Purple Eyed Cat: Yeah, she lost her cool in a big way. It's kind of all against her nature, which means there's more going on than meets the eye – green eyed monster anyone? They will make up nice, but not too nice. The conclusion is in the works, although I admit that there is a lot to be said yet. Please note this is only Chapter 11 and my other two were 22 & 23 chapters long. No, Cearl definitely won't be in Tortall in RotG. _

_Lady Araceli: Glad you like it that way. I don't see him being Cloud's favorite person. That seat is already filled. But they will be one big, happy family in the future, including horses._

_Kit49: I'm so glad you really looked at the dialogue that closely. There was a lot said in there that was revealing. Daine lost it because she was hurt and festering and because she was jealous. Buri's comments got to her. She was limiting his boundaries but still managed to suggest that she might invite him back (we know she will). And as angry as he got, he still managed to tell her she was one of his closest friends. That was sneaky of me, huh? Watch the dialogue when they finally make up too. I promise it will be as interesting, if not more so._

_Nativewildmage: As close as I try to stick to canon, I'm still not Tammy. So my word isn't gospel. Still, I thank you._

_1reallyblue1: The bad guy will get his just desserts, I promise. _

**Chapter 11 – Reinforcements**

Baron George Cooper of Pirates Swoop was packing like a maniac. Luckily, Myles and Eleni had been visiting and were willing to take the children to Corus. They had all planned to meet there for the Mid-Winter celebration. But now George wondered if it would be the happy reunion he hoped for. It was not that he didn't have faith that Jon and Numair would find a solution. He just knew his wife so well. No one could or would blame her the way she blamed herself.

George kissed each of the children goodbye, hugged his mother, and shook Myles hand in gratitude. Myles was worried too. "If you learn anything in your books…" George started to say to Myles unnecessarily.

"I'll let Jon know immediately. He will pass it on to Numair. Go take care of my daughter." Myles was trying to smile confidently, but it was clear that he was fearful.

George climbed on the back of his fastest horse and galloped to the north.

-----

It took Daine the falcon less than a quarter-hour to find the riders, due in part to knowledge of their mounts. The 7th Riders unit was home to two of her friends, Evin and Miri. Evin was the second in Command. Miri was a close enough friend to correspond regularly with Daine. When she saw them, she called with the voice of a falcon and swooped in to perch on the back ridge of Evin's saddle.

"Daine, is that you?" Changing smoothly into a marmoset, she nodded and leaped from his saddle to Miri's shoulder.

Evin removed his cloak and threw it over to Miri. Daine jumped down and wrapped the cloak around herself. Then she shapeshifted to her normal self.

"Daine, it's good to see you!" Miri said enthusiastically. The brunette's curls had grown out a bit longer to look slightly wild. It added to her overall mischievous appearance, set off by freckles and a slightly upturned nose. Her eyes twinkled happily."

"We ran into a bit more trouble," Evin said. You've probably noticed that I'm in command now." The tall blond winked at her in a friendly manner.

"Where's your regular commander?" Daine asked.

"He turned on us. Strangest thing, one day Daniel is fine, the next he's trying to kill everyone. He's bound and gagged in the back of the line."

"It's some kind of a spell. Numair and Lindhall are trying to figure it out right now. They've also managed to turn a couple of very important people."

"Who," Miri asked worriedly.

"Raoul of Goldenlake and Alanna." Every rider within earshot stopped, shocked. "It's best you know before you see Alanna," Daine finished. "She's with us."

"Have Master Numair and Master Lindhall joined you then?" Evin asked.

"Yes, and Master Harailt. We also have a black robe mage from Tusaine, Cearl de Romondo. Although, I should probably tell you he seems more trouble than he's worth. The only magic he seems good at so far is pulling eggs out of thin air and charming Onua."

"Ouch! What's got into you today," Miri asked.

"Nothing!" Daine answered a little too sharply.

Miri and Evin shared a significant look. "Cranky doesn't suit you," Miri said, eyes dancing. "The last time I saw you this grouchy, you were fighting with that handsome teacher of yours."

Daine felt her cheeks flush.

"Did you just call Numair Salmalin a _handsome teacher_?" Evin asked, raising his eyebrows at Miri.

"He is. I've always thought so," Miri countered, watching Evin closely. Evin wore a sour expression. "Careful, people will think you're jealous."

"Maybe I am," he answered, shifting to his best Player's expression. "If Daine is spending all her time in the company of someone 'cute' I think I'm terribly jealous." Miri socked his arm. He turned his attention back to Daine pretending not to have noticed. "So you are fighting with your teacher again? Anything we should know?"

"Quit teasing me," Daine giggled, although her mood had lightened considerably.

Miri hopped down off her horse since they had all stopped temporarily anyway. "I find that if you want to win a fight with a man, you just have to know where to grab." She shot a broad, sarcastic grin at Evin and grabbed her own inner thigh. Evin's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline.

"If you two flirt any harder, Buri will separate you just to save gossip," Daine said, cheeks even darker red.

"Point taken," Evin laughed.

"Listen, we're close enough that I should really guide you back. Buri is worrying. The situation with Alanna is severe enough that we set up camp. We need to get her back to Corus."

More businesslike, Evin said, "Have you had much trouble with immortals? We ran into some flesh-eating unicorns yesterday. There was only two, but we couldn't help but wonder where their herd was."

"We killed two this morning. They were accompanied by the oddest mixture of immortals. I fought my first giant today too."

Evin and Miri looked impressed. "Did you kill it?" Evin asked.

"No," she answered sulkily, "Numair showed up about the time I got knocked into a spidren web and torched it."

"Handsome and powerful," Miri gushed, "My kind of man!" She turned to look at Evin as she said it. Daine wondered if she was trying to bait him.

"I think he's taken," Daine said sourly. Miri raised her eyebrows. "Ask Buri." She shifted back into a monkey, handed Evin his cloak, and then changed to a hawk and took off. She circled while the riders mounted up and got underway again. Then she began to lead them back to camp.

While she was in the air she kept going over and over her fight with Numair. She wasn't sure why she had hit him. She had never been that angry before. She thought about all the women she had seen Numair with in the last year – Lady Cassandra, Lady Amelia, Varice Kingsford, Elyra Kelton – she supposed it was a group Alanna would fit into. Could Numair actually chase after Alanna when he boasted about her marriage to George so often?

She thought about what he had said to her in anger. Maybe she was acting childish. She wasn't really sure why and she hated that he might be right. _Had Alanna really asked him to kill her?_ If he was in love with Alanna that would really hurt.

Then she thought about everything Cloud had said to her. Horses _were_ much smarter. They didn't long for mates. They only needed the herd. And Cloud told her that two-leggers must listen with only one ear. _What was that about_? _Had Numair said more than she realized?_

_------_

Raoul had been moved to a locked infirmary where Jon and he could talk in the sunlight and where Tkaa could look him over. Some of his subjects might not like the change, but Jon was sure that this was the right thing to do.

Tkaa had told Raoul that he would turn him to stone if he went crazy, which was the only way that Raoul had agreed to the whole move. Jon wondered if Alanna's reaction was similar. He also wondered how he would deal with all of this if it were him. He didn't think he could survive it.

_-_

_-_

_Please respond._


	12. Chapter 12 Reconciliation

**Disclaimer: This is based on Tamora Pierce's Immortals Series, though references to other things from Song of the Lioness, and Protector of the Small. New characters and plots are my doing.**

**Chapter 12 – Reconciliation:**

Camp had grown significantly with the addition of the 7th riders. In the morning they would head north while Numair's party headed south. But one night in the same place made for a mostly jolly evening. Numair, however, could not find anything to smile about. While Buri, Onua, Cearl, Daine, Harailt, Lindhall and the riders gathered round the fire singing songs and telling ghost stories, Numair stuck close to the medical tents, checking on Alanna and Daniel and pouring through whatever books he had on hand. His heart ached.

The noise died down around midnight, and, except for the rider watch and Daine's usual addition of owl sentries, everyone was in their bedrolls. Numair couldn't sleep. He thought a dozen times about approaching Daine and begging her to forgive him. But he was sure she was asleep and he was also sure that waking her would not help the situation.

Finally he got up intending to take a walk. It was a chilly, but a clear night with what seemed like a billion stars glimmering in the blackest sky he could remember. He had put on a couple layers of clothing to keep warm and felt slightly stiff when he walked. He could see his breath. He walked around the edge of the tents, thinking he should check on Alanna and Daniel again when he ran into Daine.

The stood for a moment, eyes locked, shivering in the night air, unable to say anything. Finally Daine spoke, "Cloud just told me if we don't start talking she's going to kick us both."

Numair chuckled nervously. "That horse is far too wise." He searched Daine's face for signs of receptivity. "Do you want to talk to me?"

"I s'pose I better, elsewise I'm never going to sleep."

Now he did laugh. "Same here." He paused and began cautiously, "I am sorry, you know. I know I've been foolish and I admitted that before. I thought I was doing better by you but I guess – I guess not."

"No. You have. I – I don't know why I got so angry. I'm really sorry I hit you." She was staring at the ground.

Numair started to reach out to lift her chin and thought better of it. _Don't touch unless you're invited_, he reminded himself. He pulled his hands behind his back and locked his fingers together. "You probably shouldn't let anger eat at you until you explode. People will suggest you're acting like me."

She looked up at him with a slight smile. "We can't have that, now can we?"

He shook his head. "It was very wrong of me to have Alanna keep that from you. You both probably should knock me around for that."

She looked at him with pain in her eyes. "When I found out that she had been in my mind without my knowledge I felt…" She seemed to be struggling for a word.

"Violated?" Numair suggested.

She nodded, eyes imploring his understanding.

"I'm so sorry. I never thought. All that time I was worried about Ozorne raping you and I…"

"What?" She looked shocked.

"Come sit by the fire, I'll try to explain myself, not that there's any excuse. You do look cold though."

She nodded and the two of them walked to the fire and sat. Numair tried to keep enough distance that they wouldn't be touching. He stared at the fire for a few minutes until Daine finally brushed his cheek with her hand. "Where are you? Lost in your head again?" she asked.

"I'm…" he closed his eyes, "I'm trying to gather courage."

"Is it that hard to tell me?"

"It's that hard to relive."

"Oh." Daine stood up and moved next to Numair. She sat down against him this time, so close that he felt his heart began to pound. But he wasn't going to be foolish enough to try to touch her more than she initiated. "Just start talking, that's the best way," she said.

"All right." He took a deep breath. "In Carthak, you knew I talked to the Badger. You knew he told me that you couldn't taste human blood. But you didn't know how he told me." He swallowed hard. "The Graveyard Hag didn't want his interference, so instead of just materializing and saying what he needed to say, he sent me cryptic messages in three dreams. The first was – Oh, Goddess I don't think I can do this." He felt her small hand slip into his large one. "Magelet…."

"Did you dream Ozorne raped me?"

Numair swallowed hard and nodded. He felt a tear escape and tried to hide his face, but instead Daine wiped the tear with her thumb. She was much too close and he thought he could just pull her into his arms and kiss her. Shocked at himself he stood, nearly knocking her over. _How could I possibly remember that and then think about kissing her? There's definitely something wrong with me._

Daine tilted her head to look up at him. "Why didn't I fight back? I would, you know?"

"In the first dream," he said, crouching, "You didn't because you had one of those control collars we saw on the hurroks in Dunlath. The badger wanted me to see that I had left you vulnerable. In my dream you asked for help and I just stood there. In the second dream you did fight back, but when you did, you lost your mind because you tasted his blood."

"Wow," she said distantly and then bit her bottom lip.

"The first dream happened the morning that I went to the aviary. I was so scared I went to talk to you to prove to myself you were all right. But you weren't in your room. I – I became convinced he had you and I – I couldn't be like I was in that dream. I went to help you and in the process put you in more danger than you were already in. It was as if I painted a target on you. I – I was out of my mind most of the day. I asked Alanna to solidify your barrier then. I intended to put myself in between you and Ozorne and I thought that if he tried to take you I would trade myself for you. But then I realized that if he killed me, you would loose the barrier I made for you and I didn't want you to know how frightened I was. Alanna only agreed not to tell you because I begged her. She even said that I wasn't giving you enough credit. She was right, of course. But I was so worried about you that all I could see was that I needed to help. I took the ruby from my ring that same day intending to give it to you. But when it came time to tell you I lost my nerve, so I just added it to your chain." He realized most of that was probably unintelligible, but at least it was out in the open.

Daine was looking at him sympathetically. He tried to look away. "You died in the middle of the third dream and I woke knowing you were gone."

"Do you mean you dreamed I died?"

"No, Magelet, you _died_. The Badger brought you back. That was when you touched the skeletons in the hall of bones." Numair realized he was on his feet again and pacing. He wasn't sure when that had happened.

Her eyes grew wide. "I never realized that you knew about that."

"The badger felt you die while he was sending his message, so I did too. I grieved you. I summoned the badger and begged for your life. I didn't know he had already brought you back. I meant to tell you all of these things but it was just so painful, and so, like a fool, I kept them to myself."

Daine stood in the path of his pacing and flung her arms around him. They stood there in a warm embrace for the longest time. Again, he felt the overwhelming urge to press his lips to hers and pulled away.

"All this time I thought you thought I was weak," Daine said.

"I _know_ you're not weak. I bought you a weapon for a midwinter gift this year. Would I get you a weapon if I thought you couldn't use it?"

"You did?"

"Yes, but you weren't supposed to know about it yet, silly."

He sat back down by the fire and Daine snuggled against him. "Why did you rush to me after you blew everything up this morning?"

"Because I poked my head over the hill in time to see the Giant throw you into a spidren nest. Are you bruised badly?"

She blushed slightly. "My backside looks like something from Volney Raine's palette." They both chuckled slightly.

"Have I been so caught up in my own head that I forgot to tell you how much I rely upon you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Magelet, you aren't just my student. We make an amazing team and I _need_ you. We don't think the same way, you know. That's a good thing. You see things that I miss. While I'm trying to sort through this mess with Alanna, Raoul, and Daniel, I could really use your input. I cannot tell you how often when I'm in a tight spot, I wish you were beside me. And I'm not wishing that so I can keep an eye on you. I wouldn't have been wounded in the Copper Isles if you had been there. Between your skill with a bow and your magic, we could have slipped right out without the messy battle. And though it was amazing to meet the Goddess, dying was really uncomfortable." She laughed loudly, a musical sound that charmed his very soul.

"Numair, let's never fight again."

"Good idea. Your anger is not good for my vanity." He rubbed his cheek where she had slapped him earlier and grinned rakishly.

"Sorry about that," she said looking at the ground. She sighed and then said, "Tell me what you've figured out so far about this mystery magic that has Alanna."

The two snuggled together by the fire while he went over everything.

"If magic has to have an actual point of focus, doesn't there need to be some mark on Alanna?" Daine asked.

"Yes," Numair answered. "But it could be small. If they used griffin blood, it makes sense that they would have to use her blood too, but I don't know how they got it or when."

"Well, what if she had a wound she couldn't explain?"

"Does she?" he asked, sitting up.

"I think she probably healed it. But she did. There was a small wound on her shoulder – left I think. It looked like a knife wound. She found it the morning after the spidren fight."

"How big?"

"Maybe an inch long. You might have to ask her how deep."

"Magelet, I could kiss you!" It popped out of his mouth before he thought, leaving them both to blush. "I want to go look for a similar wound on Daniel to be certain. If we find one, we may want to wake Jon." He stood and started to walk back to Daniel's tent. Then he turned around and hugged Daine again, picking her up off the ground as he did so. "Thank you for forgiving me," he said. He released her and left for Daniel's tent.


	13. Chapter 13 Another Friend becomes Foe

**Disclaimer: It's Tamora Pierces'.. blah, blah, blah**

_1reallyblue1: Thanks_

_Nativewildmage: Wait and see. I like the added drama of her believing that he wants Alanna._

_X17skmBdrchiczxx: Thanks._

_KnighbyDay: Don't you love when you feel sorry for fictional characters? It is a great compliment to think I can write well enough to make you feel something. I have to laugh at myself each time I read something that makes me cry buckets for people who never existed. I hope someday to have the skill to affect readers that way._

_Kit49: It's amazing what a person can miss when they don't want to see it huh? All the snuggling and desires to kiss her ought to tell him something. But it hasn't yet. He won't be instigating anything by the next story either. That one will be between the epilogue and chapter 1 of RotG. He did initiate the kisses in RotG and almost did twice besides that. Evin and Miri should be together. Everyone who read Wild Magic believes it. But in Squire he's still charming generic women. I have an idea for that since Miri never appears again. Maybe I'll write that story too someday._

_Purple Eyed Cat: I'll bet you weren't the only one urging him on._

_Twilight Shades: How they're controlling Alanna is still a little vague. Don't worry, you'll get it all soon. One thing that won't be resolved is Ozorne's role in this though. They don't figure out he's back messing with their lives until RotG._

**Chapter 13 – Another Friend Becomes Foe**

Jon and Tkaa searched Raoul's back and shoulders for a knife wound. It took only moments to find the mostly healed mark. Luckily, it had been so small that Duke Baird had not healed it when he examined Raoul days earlier. Magical vision showed a small amount of immortal magic still emanating when the wound was reopened.

Duke Baird and Tkaa then began the tedious job of researching what the spell might be. They knew the basics of how, they just didn't know who had done this or why. They also needed more details if they were to find a cure. In the meantime, knowing that he wasn't mad, Raoul seemed both relieved and angrier than Jon had ever seen him before. The large man wanted the chance to hunt down his attacker and take revenge. This, Jon explained, was out of the question at this point. Raoul might still be dangerous and Jon thought that if Raoul had any more deaths on his conscience, he might never recover.

Jon also took the time to relay the information to George, who had then sent for the griffin parents. Jon still thought this was a dangerous gamble. But George believed the griffins had a right to avenge the death of their offspring. George also explained that the griffins could tell when a mortal had handled one of them. George had a need to see the man who did this thing to his Lioness ripped to shreds and Jon could hardly argue.

-----

Daine and Numair were both exhausted when morning came. They had been up more of the night than they had slept. But the riders cleared out early, taking Buri and all but one of the extra ponies with them. Cearl had purchased the last pony. The riders' numbers were so much more diminished that it hadn't been needed anyway.

As soon as the group rode away, Onua began rolling up camp to head for Corus. Alanna was nervous but willing to head to Corus. Daniel was more disoriented than Alanna, without his own gift to somewhat counteract the strange effects of the spell.

Alanna and Daniel rode between Numair and Harailt, with Lindhall close behind them. Onua and Cearl took the lead with Daine directly behind them and ahead of Numair.

A murmured conversation regarding the remaining mysteries of the spell was taking place between Numair, Alanna and Harailt. Daine changed her ears to those of a bat so that she could offer any fresh ideas.

"You didn't fight the paralyzing spell, Alanna. Does that mean you remember attacking?" Numair asked.

"No. I reasoned it out. Suddenly I was paralyzed by your magic and I saw my own draw back to me from Buri. I didn't know what I had done, but I knew by the missing time that I had done something."

Harailt studied her for a moment. "This could be significant. What you're saying is that the paralyzing spell stopped the magic that held you."

"I've already suggested that to Jon if Raoul has any further episodes," Numair said.

"I hope that's true," Alanna said. "Anyway, it all sounds like someone or something has to be close enough to see what we're doing so that they can set us off like we're some kind of mage blast. Whoever this is travels fast. Between Daniel, myself and Raoul, that's a lot of ground. For a mage, that too would require a lot of magic. What I don't understand is how this could have happened without my ember telling me something? If someone were creeping about in the middle of the night with powerful magic on a blade, you would think it would have done the usual thing."

"That's something I've thought a lot about too," Harailt said. "I don't really have a guess for that. Do you, Numair?"

Numair merely nodded. He looked so tired when Daine turned back to see him, but he smiled at her. They needed to be galloping to Corus, but a sudden shift in the weather left the hard ground too slick for anything faster than a trot.

Daine thought about her own experience with Gods. Her badger claw, a symbol and link between her and the Badger God, didn't give her warnings the way Alanna's ember did. However, the Badger often showed up in person when something was afoot. In Carthak, he had passed her the power of the Graveyard Hag without explaining to her who it was from or really what it did. He had done that on orders from the Hag not to interfere. Unlike the Badger, the Goddess was a major God. She doubted if anyone could tell Goddess to keep her mouth shut, but it was worth a try. "Numair, is there any God that could order the Goddess not to interfere with something, or who could hide his or her actions from Goddess?"

"Not really. Gods don't usually help with mage schemes anyway. Why do you ask, Magelet?"

"I was thinking about Carthak and how the Badger didn't really advise me the way he usually does because the Hag ordered him not to. I thought maybe that's why Goddess' ember maybe didn't work."

"The queen of Chaos can hide certain things from the upper level Gods," Harailt suggested. "Might she be involved?"

"I cannot imagine how," Alanna answered.

"Can you work magic at all without Alanna's ember warning her?" Daine asked Numair.

"I'm not sure, Magelet. Has that ever happened, Alanna?"

"I honestly can't remember. If it did I warn me I would have ignored it because you're a friend. I trust you."

Daine wondered again about Buri's suspicions. She felt sure that Alanna wouldn't cheat on her husband. She was entertaining those thoughts when she felt the stormwing. She motioned to her friends and waited to see if the stormwing was friend or foe. She heard a strange sound and all went black.

------

The attack came out of nowhere. Birds flew at their party in a rage. Their mounts turned on them and threw them. Alanna reached for her weapons which Harailt carried and shot purple fire at Cearl and Onua which Cearl blocked. At the same time, Daniel went after Lindhall. Numair saw Daine level her bow on him and he was so shocked he didn't shield himself. She would have shot as true as always were it not for Cloud's attempts to throw her aim off without unseating her. The arrow caught his shoulder.

From where he lay on the ground, Numair rolled out of the way of a possible trampling from Spots and Darkmoon with seconds to spare. Cearl and Harailt torched the attacking birds. Numair ached for what Daine would do when she discovered that, but there was no help for it. He threw a paralyzing spell at Daine as Harailt and Cearl captured Alanna and Daniel, respectively. Lindhall appeared to be knocked out.

The horses and remaining birds seemed disoriented and confused. Tahoi whimpered when he seemed to realize his teeth had sunk into his master. Only Cloud seemed to be unaffected. A sharp trilling from Kit pulled weapons from Alanna and Daine's hands, and the tiny dragon dropped from her saddle bag, weapons following her through the air.

"Oh no, Magelet," Numair murmured aloud. Somehow the monster had gotten to her. He tried to think when this could have happened. And just as suddenly Alanna threw her paralyzing spell off and lunged for Kit and her sword. Kit whistled loudly and Alanna was stone, as if Tkaa had done the work.

Numair pulled himself painfully up and said, "The paralyzing didn't bring them round this time."

Onua stood and went to the paralyzed Daine.

"No!" Numair yelled. "Onua, she can break out of it. Be wary. She broke out of a paralyzing spell in two months ago when she went after Elyra Kelton." He stumbled forward, staring at Daine's frozen expression, to watch for signs she was fighting the spell. He could see her slowly changing form to something scaley and knew her wild magic was working on the spell. "What can we do with you, Magelet?" he muttered, thinking aloud.

There was a horrible blank look in her eyes that made him want to weep. This was Daine's body but the essence of Daine was temporarily absent. He said some old thak words to try the new magic sealing spell he'd found in the _Power Codex_. He was hoping that whatever magic was controlling her could be shut away, even though her magic couldn't really be trapped. She stopped fighting the paralyzing spell.

"Where's that damned Stormwing?" Onua asked, searching the sky. Birds had pecked her face and she had many painful looking wounds.

Suddenly, Numair realized that the Stormwing had never appeared. Black fire shot into the air and punched through a stealth spell leaving the Stormwing briefly visible before he raced away.

"Cearl, let's try releasing Daniel this time. He's less dangerous," Numair said. Cearl pulled his white gift with black sparkles back. Daniel looked dazed and didn't try to get a weapon.

"Did it happen again? Did I try to…" Daniel's voice shook pathetically.

Numair nodded. "Alanna next, Kit. We probably need her healing."

A short whistle from Kit turned Alanna back to herself. She looked around herself and froze, tears brimming her eyes.

Numair let Daine go last and then sat down hard. Daine was the only one still on her horse. She looked confused and then shocked. Obviously, Cloud was filling her in. Mortified, she jumped from Cloud's back and ran to Numair. "I shot you?" she cried.

Alanna looked alarmed and started to walk toward him. "No! I'm still standing. See to Lindhall first in case that Stormwing comes back." The pain was beginning to really seep into him. He took meditative breaths and tried to shut it off. Onua ordered him to sit so she could pull the arrow. "Four mages and only one of us can heal," Numair growled through gritted teeth. "No point in trying to pull it that way, Onua, it's well embedded in the bone." Black fire swarmed around him and the arrow disintegrated, along with his shirt, but the wound remained.

Alanna brought Lindhall round. He sat up with a groan. Harailt was staring at Numair with alarm, "You're losing control of that Gift again."

He was quite right, but between the pain of the wound and the fury of knowing that whoever had gotten to Daine, Numair was unable to distract himself. He felt it was better to burn off some rage than hurt his friends. Noting a boulder a few yards away he blew it to pieces and when that wasn't enough he proceeded to blow apart five heavy stones in a row.

When he turned around, everyone had backed away from him except Daine, who still looked mournful but determined not to leave him. "Sorry," he said to her, "I needed to exercise some demons."

"You're apologizing to me when I shot you?" she squeaked incredulously.

He tried to smile, though he was really feeling the ache in his arm now. "_You_ didn't shoot me. Someone _used_ you to do it. Don't you blame yourself." He saw tears begin to drip down her lovely face and he stood again, meaning to go to her. He was dizzy though and he swayed slightly.

"If you're done blowing things up can I help with that wound?" Alanna asked.

"It was better than zapping you unintentionally," he said tersely. He noticed his own voice was kind of slurred and wondered why. He was feeling extremely light headed. Daine looked alarmed and ran to him. He vaguely remembered seeing Alanna run too. But his focus was all on Daine as he lost consciousness.

------

The midwinter ambassadors' banquet was only two weeks away and Elyra's projection spell was still not working. She had practiced until she was weak. Then her nieces came to see her.

As the hours dragged, she tried to be a good hostess but all she wanted to do was sleep. She began to make small excuses to be alone and one by one her visitors took their leave.

During the goodbyes she studied the young women, realizing that they belonged so much more than she did. The last of her ties to Yaman had really disintegrated with the death of her father. Elyra favored her mother in many things, including her height. She towered over her nieces and her coloring stood out like a red flag in a field of white. She looked more like Ilane of Mindelan than her own family. She felt it was proof that she belonged in Tortall.

She promised herself to contact Lindhall the following morning and ask for further assistance. She would get suggestions from Numair Salmalin or Harailt of Aili if she had too. She would succeed with this projection spell and get the treaty back on track. Then she would pack up her children and they would leave for Tortall and hopefully a future with Lindhall Reed.

-

-

Sorry for the cliffy. I had written it but had to split it into Chapter 14.


	14. Chapter 14 Thwarting the Puppetmaster

**Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce made up most of these characters, places and magical circumstances. **

_Ethalas Tuath'an: Thanks. I loved writing the Miri/Evan Chapter. It was a nice break and fun. I could have a lot of fun with those two because they aren't the serious personalities of Daine and Numair. Both are mischief incarnate. Yes, I will do RotG from Numair's POV after Maelstrom. I haven't decided what to call it yet and I'm still thinking a lot about the battle with Inar Hadensra. It's going to require a lot of magic that TP never really went into. The most we've ever really seen of Numair's abilities is in Lady Knight. I'm rereading it digging for things._

_x17SkmBdrchiczxx: Thanks!_

_Narm's Briton 44: I did mean gallop only because they want to get back to Corus in a hurry. That does wear out horses though. Still it would be the best way to not spend weeks in the middle of nowhere. And yes, I see your point about Numair. This is my own thing. I used the rage explosion in Two Weeks in Carthak and Mitigating Circumstances. I guess if I'm a fool then at least I'm a consistent fool._

_Kit 49: Thanks for the long, private response when the site wouldn't let you send it the normal way. This site has some bugs lately. It's strange. Anyway, my Numair is a little different from most. All of my versions of characters avoid being too super. By that I'm referring to the type of character like movie-Hermoine is in the HP series. The book Hermoine is a warm, flawed, brilliant character. Movie Hermoine is so perfect she's irritating. I don't like those type of characters. Mine make dumb decisions and let their tempers run away with them like humans tend to do. Numair is good at puzzles and it makes sense that he would start to smell a rat when a black robe can't seem to kill a hurrok. Also, he knows what he could do to another person if he wanted to. He knows that he could bend a mind in a blink (he did it to Kel when he was tired in Lady Knight). Speaking of the PotS series, I did like it. I didn't like the way she painted Numair until I got to the last book though. He showed up a handful of times in the first three books and the largest of those appearances had him paralyzing a bunch of paiges, ordering them to leave, and getting irritated when they didn't, not realizing he didn't let the magic go. Numair in Lady Knight is sweet and thoughtful and so completely in love with Daine that he will kiss her beak while she's in eagle form. You also get to see how much he terrifies the average Joe. I do recommend that book at least. The earlier books show Daine fairly nicely. You get to see some of the reasons why Numair is really the man for her. Others like her, but all the animal dung is a little hard for most men to look past. Read that series and you'll discover mistakes I made by starting Mitigating Circumstances before I read that series. I finished it while I was mid-way through writing the story, but I had already plotted it out. So I figured I'd fix it with this story._

**Chapter 14 – Thwarting the Puppetmaster**

In his dream he was practicing swordfighting with Alanna. His black fire shimmered around her in the usual magic armor he had devised to protect them as they fought. This time he saw the same pattern in the magic armor that had surrounded Daine when he'd used the magic shileding spell. He lurched from sleep with the answer on his lips. He was in a tent with Lindhall, who looked to have been dozing. "Where's Alanna, Daine and Daniel?" he asked urgently.

"Calm down, my boy," Lindhall said. You need to rest."

"But who's guarding them?" Numair's brain felt heavy. He must have had a major healing.

Onua appeared in the doorway. "I thought I heard you. Lie still, everyone is well protected."

"How?" he wondered if they had been left to Cearl. Somehow, he didn't totally trust Cearl yet, and in his murky-minded state, he found he trusted the man even less than usual.

"When the details of the attack were discussed, they agreed that Kit should let them sleep in stone state, so that all the rest of us could sleep," Lindhall answered.

"I didn't even know Tkaa had taught her that spell," Numair said, sitting up. "Still, I have a better answer, or at least it will be better for everyone but Alanna."

"But you see, if I let you up now, Alanna will skin me alive," Onua said, holding him down. "She said you needed a solid ten hours of rest at least. And she said to tell you if you ever did anything that stupid again, she might let you bleed to death."

Numair looked at her blankly.

"The arrow knicked an artery and your arrow melting trick weakened the artery wall further. If you had looked at your own arm, you would have noticed," Lindhall explained softly.

"I don't like the sight of my own blood," Numair returned, grateful the tent was dark enough that they couldn't see his blush. He still heard both of them snort.

"You scared everybody today," Lindhall started. "What – umm -- what caused that."

"I lost my temper," he said, sheepishly. "I thought I had mellowed a bit with age, but lately it seems to be coming back on me."

"Even Cearl was afraid," Onua said hesitantly. "I thought you two might be evenly matched, but…"

Now Lindhall snorted in a very uncharacteristic way. Lindhall was the sort of man who found redeeming qualities in nearly everyone and almost never talked badly about anyone. Both Numair and Onua looked at him expectantly. He pressed his lips together tightly before he finally explained, "You forget that I taught both of them." He looked meaningfully at Numair and said, "He can put a candle out with magic and still have a candle. And while his power exceeds my own…" Lindhall's voice trailed away.

Onua looked confused. "I don't get it."

"Though their status is equal, their raw power is not. When they were young Cearl was quite jealous."

"He was?" Onua and Numair asked together.

"He said he barely knew Numair then," Onua said with a confused look on her face.

"I don't really remember him. I knew of him, but we didn't interact. We weren't in the same classes," Numair added.

"Don't you remember the blasting field test when you were just a boy? It was your first field test after your father sent you to us. Cearl was a young man then and already an apprentice." Lindhall turned to Onua and continued, "The blasting field tests are a contest. They take students to the diamond mine in the south of Carthak and let them blow the ground up. It's good practice for the students and apprentices and it helps the miners. They measure the holes for depth and width, as well as accuracy of blast. Cearl was very good and had won seven years in a row until Arram came along. It became clear after the first blast that Cearl would be dethroned. He had so much more education and practice than Arram that professors were all talking about it most of that first night."

Lindhall took a deep breath and said, "The contest is held over three days so that we get an accurate sample of each student's power including how used up they are on the third day. Anyway, by the third day, Cearl was very determined to beat Arram. When his last turn came up he altered the spell to try to boost his power."

"That was him?" Numair interjected, shocked. "I was so new I didn't know who he was." He pulled at his long nose. "I haven't thought about that in years."

Impatiently, Onua asked, "So what happened?"

"The mine collapsed," Cearl said from the doorway. Everyone looked up at him. "Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear when you said my name." The other three looked guilty. "I was a foolish young man. I thought I could beat the upstart and it nearly cost 20 lives that day. The mine collapsed, sealing in the professors and students who were standing back waiting for their turn. Then the upstart," he pointed to Numair, "Lifted two tons of stone with his mind and moved it half a mile. He saved everyone who hadn't been instantly killed from being crushed or suffocating. Then he collapsed."

"You were unconscious for days," Lindhall said to Numair. "I don't think you ever realized that every professor was both impressed and terrified of you."

Onua looked to Cearl, concerned. "Why did you say you barely knew Numair?"

"Because it was true. I knew he had a powerful gift. I knew that the blasting field test was discontinued after that. I knew that my foolishness would have killed even more people if it weren't for him. I knew that he had done an amazing thing and exhausted himself and that anyone else would have had to dip into their life force to pull it off. And I avoided him my remaining years at the university because of it. We were never friends. We knew little more about each other than that one day. Many times I have wished I could live that day over and do things differently, but I cannot." Cearl's expression was now stoney, but his voice was soft. Onua reached for his hand and held it tightly with her own.

Numair kept trying to see them as a couple. It was a struggle. But he supposed that he would have to start giving Cearl the benefit of a doubt for Onua's sake. Onua led Cearl from the tent and Numair waited to see if they'd return. Then he turned to Lindhall. "Whether Alanna will do any skinning or not, I have a way to bind our friends from control until we figure out how to stop it all together. Now seems the best time."

"I'd like to argue but I can't," Linhall responded. "However, if you don't need me for this operation, I'd prefer to stay in my warm bedroll."

Numair grinned at him and headed out.

It seemed easiest to go to Daine first since he knew Kit would be sleeping in there. He could break himself out of the stone spell but wasn't sure if it might damage someone else. Kit was curled up next to Daine but wide awake and wearing a mournful looking. Her scales were a light gray.

"Hello, Kit," Numair began gently. "I have a way to bind our friends from this power without making them sleep stiffly. I thought we could start with Daine. I'll need to be able to talk to her though."

Kit cooed an answer, turning slightly bluer and then whistled briefly to undo her spell. He knelt over her and called her name. Daine sat up sleepily smiling at Numair. "Magelet, sorry to wake you. I have an answer to help you but it will…"

Daine grabbed his collar and pulled him against her, pressing her lips to his. It was a warm and wonderful kiss and he was totally unprepared for it. Months of wishing for this moment outweighed his knowledge that it wasn't right and he returned it passionately. From behind him he heard another whistle of urgency and Daine's soft mouth became stone again.

Numair cautiously pulled himself from her arms, afraid he'd break one off in the process only to find that Kit had saved his life. Daine's right hand gripped a dagger that must have been tucked under her bed roll.

His cheeks burned and his mind raged at him for being so overcome by desire that he failed to realize Daine would never pull him into a kiss like that. As far as he knew she'd never kissed anyone but Perin and it was a brief goodnight kiss. Whoever was pulling her strings knew he wanted her and knew he would be distracted by that. He wondered again at Ozorne's status.

His mind raged. He stood out of the tent and threw fire at the night, trying to catch a stormwing hovering above. It was no good. The only thing it did was bring every one who had been sleeping and wasn't in stone form rushing from their tents to stare at him.

"What are you aiming at?" Lindhall called as he hurried over.

"When I woke Daine she was being controlled again. I was looking for that half-metal beast," he explained with bite in his voice. Kit cooed at his knee with a tone that sounded very sympathetic. "Yes, Kit, thank you. You did save my life." He privately hoped no one else in the camp would know why he needed saving. "This time I think I'll weave the spell, wake her up, and then explain. She won't like it because she will not have been consulted. But she will understand in the end."

He hesitated for a couple of minutes, reminding himself that Daine wouldn't remember what she had done or how he had responded. He also ignored the desire to get pulled into another kiss, even if it did get him killed. He knew that one day soon, he was going to have to take a long hard look at his feelings for Daine, but he refused to do it now.

If Lindhall thought anything of Daine's strange position when he entered the tent, he said nothing. Numair was grateful. The last person he wanted to explain this to was the man who had taught him the sacred rules of teaching. He wove the black armor and motioned to Kit.

-----

When Daine awoke, her arms were out in front of her and a dagger was gripped in one fist. Numair caught that hand to make sure she didn't drop the dagger into her own body. "What – I laid down before Kit spelled me," she said. "Why is my dagger in my hand?"

"It seems to have worked," Lindhall said, his eyes twinkling. He patted Numair on the back.

"Well, that's assuming that the "puppetmaster" didn't just let her go to fool me," Numair answered.

Daine was putting the dagger back under her bedroll when Numair sat on the ground beside her. "I need to talk to you about what I've done to you. But we need to test some things first. I'm sorry to do this backward, but when I tried to talk to you first, you got a little violent."

Daine felt herself blanch. She stared at him terrified.

"Kit, try the neaten-up trick on Daine," Numair directed. Kit made her sounds, but it bounced off of the shield of magic that Daine now wore. Numair nodded satisfaction. "Lindhall, can you throw a test spell at Daine – something strong."

She saw Lindhall's gray fire surround her, but it never actually touched her, bouncing off the shield.

"I've put a shield around you that blocks magic in and out. I've never seen this spell for human's before something I found in the Power Codex a few days ago. I tried it on you when we fought earlier today. I woke up realizing I could mix it with my sword fighting shield spell and make a sort of suit out of it. Your features look a little fuzzy to us, but otherwise you're as beautiful as ever, and more importantly you're you." He went to tweak her nose and his hand bounced off. Everybody chuckled. "You probably won't get dirty either. I doubt if road dust will stick."

"Did I try to hurt you again?" she said shakily.

"It wasn't you, remember?" Numair answered sternly.

"Did I kill any more of the people?"

"No, Magelet." He swallowed hard. "I wasn't conscious when you discovered that earlier either. I knew you would ache over it. I had every intention of being there to tell you myself. Sorry."

Numair had moments of being so sweet that she wondered why anyone ever called him cold. This was one of the many reasons Daine loved her teacher. When she needed him he was always there. She tried to reach for his hand and found they couldn't touch because of the shield. She stared into his eyes for such a long time she thought Lindhall might notice.

Lindhall looked to be caught in his own thoughts. "I think this will work very well. I wish there was a way to know for certain."

"It is possible that whatever is controlling them will be awake in Daniel or Alanna right now. I also might have scared it off," Numair responded. "_It_ for a lack of a more certain pronoun," he added. Daine almost chuckled at that. She personally thought "puppetmaster" was the best term she'd heard and determined to call the villain that until they knew his or her name. "Daine stick close. We'll go wake one of the others and test. If they wake and attack and you are still you, we'll know."

They chose Daniel next and the four went into his tent. Kit trilled and released him. Then Numair called him. But Daniel did not attack. This meant they would not know for certain. They had to hope. As Numair explained the shield to Daniel, Daine realized for the first time that this shield would mean a sacrifice by Alanna. Daine's wild magic could not be barred by gift blocking spells. Alanna's could. Alanna would not be able to heal or use her power in any way until they found the real cure.

Now the five of them walked to Alanna's tent. This time their puppetmaster must have wanted the answer himself because when they woke Alanna, she attacked. Daniel and Daine remained safe. Numair completed the spell as Alanna struggled and she came to herself. He explained how it worked as Alanna shivered, shamefaced. Finally she said, "I've been forced to fight without my magic before. But if anyone gets hurt I cannot help."

"We realize that," Numair answered.

"Can Jon do this working for Raoul?" Alanna asked.

"He doesn't have to. The great thing about he Power Codex spells is that they can all be done by fire. We just need to get Raoul in front of a fire."

"You do realize this will make you the target?" Alanna asked. Shocked by that realization, Daine stared at Numair.

"She's right," Daine said. "If the puppetmaster wants his puppets back, he will have to kill you. He will come after you."

Numair smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Magelet. As long as you're with me I'll be safe."

Daine couldn't help but smile at the reference to their conversation of the night prior. She even noticed Alanna beaming at her and then Numair. She wondered if Alanna knew about their talk. She hoped not. Those were private moments between herself and Numair that she didn't want to share, even if they never meant to him what they meant to her.

------

The fox raged as he ran to meet Ozorne. This was not an outcome his master would appreciate. It figured Draper would find a way around the spell. Ozorne had been right. Forget his power, Draper needed to die.


	15. Chapter 15 Puzzle

_**Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce wrote some great stories. Then I came along and added stuff in between. Ain't fanfiction great?**_

_Nativewildmage: My writing makes your heart pound teehee. I hope you'll like the latest twist. If Sinthya had gotten to speak, they would have known before RotG about Chaos. Instead, Sinthya lost his head._

_Twilight Shades: I loved giving the suits a downside. Wait until you read._

_Kit49: I figured there would be people cursing at me about the kiss. It was fun to write it and have it undone in the next line. I keep trying to picture her frozen in that position too. It would look freaky. It's great how Numair's failure to look at his feelings is starting to really mess with his life._

_Ethalas Tuath'an: You asked about Sinthya. He's in this chapter and for the last time._

_Narms Briton 44: I did explain it. Dragons use spells. Basilisks use spells. Kit is advanced because of all of Numair's books and Tkaa's influence. So I decided he taught her the spell. _

**Chapter 15 – Puzzle**

The morning rose gloomy and stormy. A heavy snowfall kept Onua and her friends from traveling any further south that day. The falling snow and pounding wind made visibility so poor that they could easily have been lost. A dread seemed to spread over the small camp, despite the fact that a shield made by Harailt and Lindhall kept them all dry. Numair stayed tucked mostly in his tent, pouring through what books they had on hand trying to find a better solution than the magical shield suits.

Of course, Numair couldn't entirely keep to himself once everyone in camp realized the downside of the suits. Not only could those shielded not touch anyone, they couldn't comb their own hair because the comb was outside of the very solid shield. Neither could they eat or use the privy without having the shield temporarily released. This was both inconvenient and dangerous, especially because both Daine and Alanna could potentially do damage without being in site.

Jon had contacted Numair repeatedly that morning, first because Raoul needed to eat and use the privy, and then because Jon wanted to learn to do the shield himself so that he didn't have to find Numair every time Raoul needed to attend to a normal biological function. Soon Lindhall and Harailt began to practice the shield spells as well, in the hope that they could each take a charge and make the shields more practical.

Onua played her citole by the fire for a couple hours that morning. Cearl was back in the tent they had started to share pouring through his own book. She wasn't really sure what he was looking for, but she hoped it was a way to help them. She had begun to feel strange about Cearl. She was used to the mages around her using whatever power they had to offer to help out. Cearl didn't usually volunteer. While it was true that he had helped out during the big battle when they discovered Daine was now being controlled, he usually didn't offer help unless specifically requested.

Numair came out of his tent about that time and smiled at her. "Onua, your talent never ceases to amaze me. It's nice to hear your music this morning. I think I would have sunk into a deep depression without it." He stretched and tilted his neck as if trying to work out a kink. "I haven't had any privy calls in a while," he added, "but it's almost midday."

"Sometimes a solution is more a problem isn't it?" she teased grinning.

"That's the problem with trying to make up spells as you go along. Most poisons have been invented while trying to come up with an antidote for another poison."

She had never really thought about how poisons were invented before. She found the thought discomforting. "Are you any closer to the real answer?"

"I honestly don't know. Usually it is a matter of looking at the problem correctly. I probably have more information than I realize, or at least that's the way this kind of thing has worked in the past. The Gods are lucky enough to see things completely. We mortals get to scramble as if hunting pieces of a puzzle. When they are all assembled, only then do we see what was right before our eyes all along. I'm sure that will be the case this time as well. Do me a favor and distract me for a few minutes. If I don't think about it, maybe I'll see what I'm missing." Kit nearly ran into him as she scurried after Tahoi. They were playing their crazy game of tag again. He laughed and shook his head at them.

Onua thought for a moment. "Before all this madness hit I was preparing music for the Rider's Midwinter Party. I used a couple of your songs. I thought I might have you sing one or maybe Sarge because it's meant for a male singer."

She watched him blush darkly. "I couldn't sing in front of a lot of people. It's one thing to play the recorder in front of a lot of people – and even that is usually for magic spells – but it is quite another to sing in front of everybody." He stared out into the middle of camp, watching the baby dragon and huge dog chase one another.

"But these are all friends – the riders group," Onua protested. "You are very familiar with all of them because of myself and Daine and because of various lessons. And this is _your _song."

He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. Onua thought he was probably looking for a flaw in her argument. "Your music might not be something I could sing, did you ever think of that? And which song are we talking about anyway?"

Onua looked at him suspiciously. She thought he might pretend not to remember the words, so she pulled out the book, opened it to the page and handed it to him. "The tune is not hard either. It could be pitched to fit your range, so don't tell me you couldn't sing it."

To her shock, Numair sat hard as he read the lines. He never looked up. "What made you – why did you pick this one?" he mumbled. His suddenly heavy mood in contrast to the comical antics of Kit and Tahoi made the scene surreal.

She reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "I picked it because I thought it was beautiful. It says so much in such few lines." She tried to study his face, but he was looking everywhere but at her. There was a very long silence, "Do I know her?" she asked finally.

He stood quickly, "No, I don't think so." Kit began to sparkle brightly as she stopped chasing Tahoi. And whatever Numair mumbled next was unintelligible over the small dragon's sudden loud chirping. Onua's attention was drawn back when Numair said, "Is Daine somewhere by the horses? I need to talk to Cloud and could use her help."

Onua nodded and glanced back to the sparkling dragon. Then Numair picked Kit up and asked her, "Where's your ma?" Onua had to smile at the question. That was how Daine referred to herself in regard to little Skysong.

Kit and Numair crossed over to the horses, about the time that Daine exited Alanna's tent. Onua stood and walked to her. "Numair wants a discussion with Cloud and was hoping you'd translate."

"Oh, okay. I was going to take her an apple anyway," Daine said with a smile. "I can't feed myself properly, but I think I can feed her."

Onua chuckled. They walked together to the horses and saw the strangest site. Numair had Kit on his shoulder and was feeding an apple to Cloud. "Did I die yesterday and no one told me?" Onua asked sarcastically.

Daine laughed. "Cloud says she'll take a free apple from nearly anybody."

Numair and Onua laughed too. "This is a sight I never imagined I'd see," Onua teased. "You're training him very well, Daine."

Daine covered her mouth but her eyes looked amused. Numair said, "You make me sound like a naughty puppy."

"Goddess knows _I _could never get you around a horse when you didn't have to be," Onua said mockingly.

Daine reached up and took Kit, balancing the tiny dragon on one hip. "Cloud says it must have been the fox and she's sorry. She usually doesn't think anything of any animal entering my tent."

Suddenly serious, Onua asked, "What about a fox?"

"I asked Cloud to keep an eye on Daine back before we resolved our argument," Numair explained. Seeing the sour look on Daine's face he added, "I also asked her to keep an eye on me for that matter. It makes sense that she might see thing that we miss."

"That is true," Daine acquiesced.

"Cloud, did the fox seem odd to you in any way?" Numair asked the horse then he turned to face Daine.

"She says he was a little unusual but she's not sure exactly why."

"A fox?" Onua asked. "How could an animal be part of this?"

"A couple of ways," Numair said, leaning back against a tree. "It could be an illusion spell, although it would have to a very complete one indeed to also fool the eyes of various animals. It could be a strong wizard like myself, who can shapeshift. Or the animal could actually be controlled in a similar fashion to Daine, Alanna, Daniel and Raoul. Whoever this is knows quite a lot about us, even a few secrets. They would have to know that Daine could potentially have spies everywhere. But it isn't unusual to see a fox enter her tent or even to find a hedgehog curled up in her bedroll," he grinned at Daine. "So Cloud, I doubt if I would have noticed either." He petted the gray mare. Onua checked to make sure her mouth wasn't hanging open.

Daine smiled and chuckled. "She says she forgives you too, _Storkman_." Both Daine and Onua giggled.

Briefly a sour expression crossed Numair's face. "I suppose I can't hold it against her. I would be dead now if it weren't for her." He pulled another apple from his pocket and fed the mare.

Daine stared at the ground uncomfortably and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Magelet, it wasn't your fault, remember? Besides, I'm the one who sat there on the ground doing nothing to protect myself for a whole minute. I learned how to deflect arrows from my person when I was twelve. I certainly could have done it yesterday. And you know that brings up a question. Why wasn't Cloud affected? Under this sorcerer's control, you forced the animals to do things they would never have done otherwise. If you had that tight of control with your magic, why wouldn't it affect Cloud?"

Daine looked thoughtful for a minute, chewing on her bottom lip. "Maybe I didn't control Cloud because I didn't need her to do anything. Or, it could be that she's different because of the bite." She tapped her elbow, watching her finger bounce against the magic shield.

"I wonder if it's important here," Numair said thoughtfully. "I keep wondering what I would see if I could look at one of these battles from…" His eyes opened wide and he began to murmur something to himself. Onua heard words like, "Elyra"… "worked on teaching her"… "should have done it myself." In his own world now he hurried back toward the tent where Lindhall and Harailt were working.

"Inspiration," Daine said with a smirk.

Onua laughed. They began to feed apples to the other horses. "We're going to run out of these soon," Onua said. "Since Cearl can make eggs, I wonder if he can make apples."

Daine stopped and looked at her. "Can I ask you something, Onua?"

"Sure."

"What is it about Cearl that – well I'm not sure the best way – but I was wondering.."

"..why I like him?" Onua finished.

"Yeah." Daine blushed slightly.

"Would you believe I don't know the answer to that? There are moments I don't exactly know how we – well it's not like I saw him and said 'Oh, he's the one.' I'm not sure he is the one anyway. I'm sure a fling like this is foolish. He will go on to do magely things and I won't see him again, probably." She felt her face color. "I can't believe I'm talking to you about this."

"Why?"

"You're still so young."

"What does that have to do with price of peas in Persopolis? My ma had men stay over sometimes. I know sometimes a woman wants to bed a man even if they're not married."

"Daine," Onua began, "Have you…"

Daine began to laugh. "Not many men want to share a bedroll with me and a hedgehog or two."

Onua chuckled. "Perin seems fairly accepting of your magic. Maybe he…"

Daine blushed. "Perin is a friend. I've been away long enough now that he probably moved on. Even so, I think it might be a little strange to him too. The riders talk about it sometimes -- that I have friends visit. Always the males look like it's the worst thought they ever heard. A few even make very inappropriate jokes. Honestly, the only man who never teased me about the friends that keep me warm is Numair. We've traveled together enough that he's seen me curled up with wolves, marmosets, cats, martins, and even smelly sea lions. He's still my friend." The girl looked distant.

Onua smiled to herself. "You treat his strangest behavior as normal too. Yesterday, you were the only one who didn't back away from him while he was blowing up rocks. Did you notice?"

"He told me once that we 'weirds' have to stick together." Daine said nodding. "Still, I was surprised that Alanna did. She usually understands everything about him. Onua, do you think Buri's right about why he wrote that song?"

"No. I asked him about the inspiration for that song. He said he didn't think that I knew her. But he wouldn't give me any more information than that. He seemed rather embarrassed."

"Oh," was all Daine said. But she was staring at the brush as she combed out Cloud's coat. "So Cearl – you're not going to follow him and leave me alone with all those riders are you?"

Onua laughed. "No. Sarge would string me up anyway. So would Buri for that matter. If Cearl wants something more, he can come to me. Tortall could always use another mage, especially another black robe." Secretly, she doubted if Jon would want someone who didn't volunteer more though. Jon liked people who weren't afraid of hard work.

-----

Jon was sitting in his study when a herald fetched him to where Duke Gareth had just arrived. At the name of Peter of Sinthya, the two men had shared a look that spoke volumes. He couldn't imagine what Sinthya had to tell him that could not be shared with anyone else, but to risk Traitor's Hill to return and share this information, it had to be huge.

Raoul and Jon rounded the corner in time to see a fight break out between two member of the Own and Gareth the Younger. Gary wasn't usually the fighting type and this made no sense.

"Sire!" Sinthya yelled from where he was chained in Gareth the Elder's wagon. "I have important information that you must know, before he destroys us all."

Raoul and Jon hurried toward the chained man, ignoring the fight on the other side of the wagon.

Sinthya looked terrible. He was dirty and very thin. A haunted look on his face spoke of horrors he had witness while in hiding. "A plot with dire consequences – he's allied himself with the Queen of…" It was the last thing that Sinthya said before a sword parted his head from his body. Jon shot a paralyzing spell at the killer – Gary.

-

-

-

Okay, time to respond


	16. Chapter 16 Seeing the Truth

**Disclaimer: If you recognize a character, place or magic spell, it was created by Tamora Pierce for the 14 books belonging to her Tortall Universe. Otherwise, you can blame me.**

_Ethalas Tuath'an: Why didn't they stop the fight? Don't worry, Jon will be asking himself the same thing. As far as Daine now knowing that Numair isn't going after a married woman – she knows no such thing. She only knows that he told Onua that it was no one she knew. That still leaves quite a few married women in the world. But even so, it was obviously a lie. When Onua puts together the sparkling dragon thing, she will know that it was a lie. Will I have Numair sing the song? You'll have to wait and see. It's not that far away now._

_Kit49: Yes I have a 2 year old son. I also have a full time job. Luckily for me the job is one where I can do anything I want when my work is done, as long as I'm handy to answer the phone and help employees. I get a lot of time to myself. So I write. On weekends though, I still manage to write. I just juggle things like all mothers do. It helps that my 2-year-old is unusually bright. If I give him a jigsaw puzzle to work on or a stack of books, he will play quietly for an hour or so. I also type 90 wpm and plot the stories in my head. My chapters take about an hour and a half if I type straight through. Usually that isn't the case. Usually I get about a paragraph, then do a chore, then another paragraph and so on. When I reach the chapter end, I read the whole thing over before submitting it. I catch a lot of little stuff that way. But I still miss things from time to time. Then I have to go back and fix later. When I'm ready to do my own I'll let you know. However, I've been getting a lot of negative comments from one regular reviewer lately which makes me think maybe I'm not good enough yet. It might be the pace too. Sadly I disagree with most of them, which probably just means I'm too stubborn to see their point of view. It's starting to depress me though. Just so you know, Onua is convinced now that Daine and Numair belong together. So they have three friends on their side at this point._

_X17SkmBdrchiczxx: Yep – it makes sense though that if Ozorne wanted to ruin the Kingdom from the inside out, he'd gather as many as he could._

_Twilight Shades: Yes, Chaos is what he would have said._

_Lady Ariceli: Yes, Chaos is what he would have said. _

_Purple Eyed Cat: If you're frustrated, imagine how they feel. But things are about to be revealed. I love how nobody noticed the sparkling dragon. Numair, of course, knows why she was sparkling. That's why he took her with him. Several people have doubts about Cearl. Sadly, no one is talking out of friendship to Onua._

_Nativewildmage: I'm glad you still like it. Sadly, Sinthya was finally going to do something good for the kingdom. Now, it's too late. I love redeeming a bad guy._

**Chapter 16 – Seeing the Truth**

When Numair entered the big tent to find Harailt and Lindhall, he discovered that Harailt had mastered the shield suit spell and was testing it on Lindhall. "I've got it," Harailt said. "This is a brilliant spell. I think I want to spend some time staring at that book of yours."

"Unless you're as quick at translating as he is, it will probably give you the same headaches it gave me," Lindhall said with a grin. He looked at Numair and frowned. "Either my sense of humor is failing or you're somewhere else right now."

"All this time we've been helping Elyra with the projection spell and never even thought to use it ourselves," Numair said abruptly.

Numair saw Lindhall's brow furrow. "What are you talking about?"

"It's like you said when I was your student, Lindhall, 'To cure a disease, you have to have as much information as possible.' That's true of stopping this spell too. We need to see what we're looking past. The answer to how to see it was right in front of my nose all along and it just got through my thick skull." He pulled the memory of the previous day from his own mind and then settled it in the center of the tent in a projection. He dropped to his knees to study it. He could see their riding formation and glances to those he was carrying on a silent conversation with (this spell left out the sound). It was strange watching it all in miniature unfold again. He saw his perspective of falling from Spots and Daine training her bow on him -- birds attacking and being burned to nothing -- freezing Daine and watching the others stop Alanna and Daniel. The others kneeled beside him and studied it too.

Harailt released Lindhall from his protective suit and both of them put their own memories of the fight into a small projection. Each mage took turns watching the other's perspective.

Lindhall stood again. "Maybe we should look from one of their perspectives – Alanna, Daniel, or Daine.

Harailt nodded and added, "..or from Cearl or Onua."

Numair frowned. As much as he wanted to trust Cearl for Onua's sake, he couldn't. But he didn't want to say as much aloud. "Perhaps we should look at the other battle…" He heard Alanna clear her throat from the doorway.

"I need a privy break," she said as she looked around. "Is that…"

"We're trying to see what we missed," Numair explained. "But this one doesn't seem to be getting us anywhere. I was just about to try the other battle. We can hold off until you return from the privy if you want?"

Fascinated, Alanna said, "I think I can wait a few minutes. Let's see it."

Numair pulled the memory of the immortal skirmish from his mind and projected it. It started from a point when Spots lurched into a run for no apparent reason. Topping the rise they saw the giant throw a grizzly bear into a tree. The bear smashed hard enough to shake the tree. Then the bear tried to pull free and they could see she was trapped in webbing. The view shifted to look at all the foes left to fight. Alanna took a sharp intake of breath as she watched herself strangling Buri with her magic. Then the black fire erupted, causing immortals to explode and holding Cearl and Alanna paralyzed. Purple and White fire receded back to the sorcerer who wielded it.

"Why did your horse take off like that?" Lindhall asked.

"I assume Spots felt Daine's fear or maybe that of the other horses," Numair answered.

"That would make sense," Alanna added.

"How did you know who the bear was?" Harailt asked.

"Logic – A bear would not be fighting otherwise. Plus…" he restarted the projection and pointed to the split second where Daine's copper fire was visible, "I saw her magic. I usually look for it in animals when I'm expecting Daine around. I don't have to try for that. I usually shut off that magic sight."

As Alanna watched again she began to frown. "Numair," she asked, "What spells did you use here exactly?"

"Mythros! I don't know. It was so automatic. I remember realizing that you were a danger to them. I had known that when we headed for you, so it wasn't exactly shocking." He sat down and pulled at his long nose. "I took a quick stock of the immortals left to fight. You can see that when I'm looking around there." He wondered if anyone else noticed that he kept looking at Daine the bear. "I'm very used to fighting immortals now. Almost three years of these kind of battles has taught me which ones have magic and which don't. But I chose the exploding mage fire as it is good in an all purpose fight. I didn't want to kill you though," he pointed at Alanna. "I used the foe rune to direct the paralyzation." He restarted the projection just before that point and when it came up, he pointed to himself drawing the symbol in the air. "Do you see it?"

"Then why," Alanna asked pointedly, "did it grab Cearl too?"

Numair looked Alanna directly in the eyes and the realization dawned on them both. But before he could stand, Numair heard Daine's voice screaming his name.

------

Daine and Onua joined Cearl by the fire when they were done brushing the horses. Kit held out her arms to Onua like a small toddler wanting new attention. Onua giggled and picked her up.

"How goes the reading?" Onua asked Cearl with a smile as she settled Kit into her lap.

He shrugged. "I think I'm getting a kink in my neck from it. It's probably time to take a break." He reached over and patted Kit on the head.

Daine began to boil water for lunch. "Cearl, I was wondering how many similar powers you have to Numair's. You both have the black robe status, right?"

Cearl merely nodded but never pulled his gaze from Onua.

"Onua said you can make eggs appear from nothing, right – like Numair does with flowers and stuff?"

"Yes," the mage answered. He held out his palm and conjured a perfect egg with his white fire. "You could boil that and add it to our lunch if you like." Daine found the fact that the color of his magic was exactly the opposite of Numair's a little unnerving, as if it were a sign that he was the opposite of Numair in other respects. She tried to shake the thought for Onua's sake and put a second pot of water on to boil.

"Does that take a lot of magic?"

"Does it burn up a lot of my gift, you mean? Not really. You have to be very powerful to conjure in the first place, but… it's funny really. I could sit and make a dozen eggs and still have enough gift to use a word of power or two." He held out his hand again, producing five more eggs, one after the other. "Now you have six to add to our lunch," he said grinning.

Daine smiled and took them, thinking maybe he wasn't so bad after all. About then she heard Tahoi say _–Don't you start warming up to him too.-_

_-Don't you trust Onua's judgement?-_ she asked in mindspeak.

_-You know I do, but not with him. That two-legger doesn't smell right.-_

Daine tried not to giggle at that. _–He smells like a two-legger with strong magic, Tahoi. You see the fire in him don't you?-_ The big dog twitched and sulked into Onua's tent.

"You haven't won Tahoi's heart yet," she said to Cearl aloud. She noticed a frown cross Onua's face, but the K'mir said nothing.

"It's amazing how you talk to animals. I remember it being drilled into our heads that wild magic was a myth – yet here you sit," Cearl stated.

"It's fair disturbing to humans still though. Many people are afraid of me. They're afraid of Numair too. Do you get much of that?"

"It helps that I learned to keep my magic mostly out of sight of others."

"Yes, Numair told me many times to keep my conversations with animals private when I was first learning. But while it helps, I still travel with a dragon," she patted Kit, "and transform often to defend myself or those I care about."

"But don't let her fool you," Onua interjected, "She's also the best archer I've ever met."

Cearl chuckled. "I saw that huge bow yesterday. It looks like it would be nearly impossible to string. I was wondering, can I make a fool out of myself by trying?"

Onua and Daine laughed simultaneously. Daine picked up her bow and handed it to Cearl. As he reached across the fire, a bracelet of multicolored stones dropped from under his sleeve. Kit trilled with delight, making the different stones light up and giving Daine an instant headache.

"No, no," Cearl scolded at Kit. "That could be dangerous." He tucked the bracelet back and stood to try and string the bow. Onua and Daine both covered their mouths trying not to laugh as he struggled without success.

"There is a trick to it. You have to hold the bow with your instep," Daine said, as normally as possible.

"I think I'll stick to my spells and charms," he returned, eyes dancing. He handed the bow back to her. "Told you I'd make a fool of myself." Onua stopped trying to hide her amusement and giggled outright.

"What were all those stones for anyway," Daine asked, thinking back to the bracelet.

"Well," he said sitting back down and looking thoughtfully, "You know that different stones do different things magically, right?"

"Sure. But I'm not Numair, I won't recite," she answered with a smile, sending Onua into another fit of giggles.

"Let's just say each one represents a different use, shall we?" he answered.

"So, it's an all purpose piece of jewelry, kind of?"

"More or less."

Daine added a ball of noodles and spices to one of the two pots of boiling water and stirred. The other pot had the eggs. About that time she saw Alanna go by, headed for the tent where Numair, Harailt and Lindhall were. They waved at one another.

Kit wiggled on Onua's lap at the smell of the cooking food, whistling to Daine to let her know she was hungry.

"It will be ready soon, Kit," she said. "I meant to ask you, Cearl, if you can shapeshift and if so, what animal? Numair can and I know you have to be very powerful to do it. So I thought you probably can too. I wondered if it always ends up being the same one or not."

"I've never tried," Cearl answered.

Kit's scales began to sparkle like fireworks. "Oh, she's doing it again," Onua said excitedly. "She did that earlier."

Daine stared at the little dragon and back to Cearl. She remembered the letter Numair had sent and his explanation of what resulted from Kit eating eyebright. She reached for her bow. "Onua, a hurrok is coming." Onua stood, dumping Kit from her lap. She and Cearl searched the sky. Daine ignored the renewed sparkles emanating from Kit and hoped the other two wouldn't yet put it together. She expertly strung the bow and picked up an arrow, screaming for Numair as she did it.

When she saw him exit the tent, Daine coldly trained the bow on Cearl. "Kit's sparkling, Onua, because he's telling a lie." Cearl looked at her face, startled. She glared and asked, "Why would you do that? Are you the fox?"

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Okay. You all have to wait for news of Jon, Raoul, Gary, Elyra and George until next chapter. In the meantime, review.


	17. Chapter 17 Quake

**Disclaimer: This is my plot and contains a handful of my own characters. Everything else is the property and bread-and-butter of Tamora Pierce. May she write for many years to come.**

_A/N:_

_Ethalas Tuath'an: Onua is a bit busy right now to think about it and she's about to get a whole lot busier. But she will realize it soon. She might have believed that it was someone in Carthak, since she didn't go. But that is no longer the case. I didn't fool very many people with Cearl. I tried to make him charming and a little endearing. The level of his treachery is probably not realized yet though. I am patting myself on the back for hiding a few things in plain sight. The sparkling dragon thing, the foe spell, the lies that were not lies. But now the world is falling down. The little mention of looking at Daine the bear repeatedly was one of those little clues. You are the only one who commented on it, however. Nice catch._

_Kit49: Didn't you love how masterfully she confronted him? Talk about thinking well on your feet! That's one of those things I love about Daine's character. She is not just good in a crisis – she's brilliant. Oh, and thanks for the compliments._

_1reallyblue1 – Yep, finally!_

_Jules-Gemma – Thanks! Here you go._

_Twilight Shades – Nice to see her calculating instead of damsel in distress, huh? And boy do I have some fun in store._

_Sunfish Sailor – Hello. First, thank you so much for pointing out the anonymous viewer thing. I never noticed that it was something I had to approve. I changed it when I read your message. Still, I'm glad you joined and I can't wait to see what you submit when your three days are up. Also, thanks for the compliments. You're going to see the losing control thing dissipate once Numair finally understands what's going on in him. I guarantee I'll address it before this story is over and I still won't leave cannon._

_X17SkmBdrchiczxx: Caiti, I'm dying to know what your name means. Busted is a major understatement._

_PurpleEyedCat: Unfortunately, the eyebright thing won't last forever. It made for a nice twist in this story though, twice. I'm feeling crafty right now._

_Nativewildmage: He will fight much more efficiently than he has let on thus far. Sadly, he is not hung up on the consequences of his actions like Numair. But you can be he's going to die before all is said and done. _

**Chapter 17 - Quake**

Ozorne dispatched the herd to attack. He could not believe his agent had been discovered by such a trivial thing. All the warnings of abilities had not prepared Cearl for a fluke accident involving the infernal dragon. Now Cearl would probably die as well, but it was necessary. He hoped the entire group would be well trampled when he next looked in on them.

-----

Elyra was ecstatic. For once in her life, everything seemed to be falling into place. Her presentation was ready. Under the guise of honoring the various ambassadors for service to her father, Elyra had compiled a group of memories from each of triumphs in diplomacy or great moments, all to be projected for the audience to see. The climax of this display, however, was a poignant reminder of how the Tortallan ambassadors had saved precious artifacts of Yaman history. This spell would remind the new emperor of the gifts a friendship with Tortall had already provided. That in conjunction with the help of the many royal family members who loved the Mindelans, should seal the treaty.

It was then that Baron Piers knocked at her door. Bowing slightly, he hurried in at her invitation. "Ilane has heard that the emperor will revisit the idea of the Tortallan treaty in two days times. Can you expedite our plan?"

Her eyes opened wide. "Yes, but how can I sneak it into the events?"

"Ilane says she has friends who can make it seem normal. If you can work the spell, I will feel more confident."

"I've practiced over and over and successfully accomplished it thrice." He nodded approval. "I have heard rumors that a marriage will need to be offered in the treaty. Is this something your king can abide?"

"I believe so. I will contact him this evening by fire with your assistance."

She nodded and faced her co-conspirator with a look of fierce determination. "If the Goddess so wills, we shall seal this before the week is out."

"So mote it be," he responded. They bowed to one another in Yamani fashion.

-----

Raoul, Gary, Gareth, Duke Baird and Jon were sitting in the king's study, recapitulating the events of the day until Jon's head ached. Duke Baird had come to examine Gary and had done so past the shield suit that Jon had quickly become adept at due to the circumstances. Gareth shook his head repeatedly as he tried to understand the actions of his namesake.

Inside, Jon was kicking himself. He had noticed that Gary was behaving out of character, but was so astounded by Sinthya's bold return to Corus, that he never stopped to think about the danger. Anger flooded through his thoughts. This unknown enemy had managed to infiltrate all safeguards and ensnare the three closest friends from his knight training.

Jon looked up at Gary, whose famous good nature seemed a distant memory. The poor man wore a dazed look much like that of Raoul's when Jon had first talked to him in the dungeon. At least his casualties were limited to a man wanted for treason. He had injured a member of The Own, but Duke Baird had healed the man quickly, leaving no trace of the injury.

"Do you think that the statement passed through Raoul, 'Lord Sinthya sends his regards' was a simple misdirection or do you think that Sinthya was originally part of it and changed sides?" Duke Gareth asked. The man's head was bowed and his hands were folded together with both index fingers extended, touching his forehead.

"I doubt very much if Sinthya was ever a mastermind in whatever is going on here. But I think Gary was forced to kill him because he knew enough to thwart the plan. Gary, I'm so sorry. I knew you weren't behaving like yourself. I should have done something the moment I thought it."

Gary bowed his head. "Sire, I.."

Jon held a hand out. "You have always called me Jon and I expect you to continue. Beyond that, you are my cousin and one of my closest friends. I have been through this with Raoul and will likely say it to Alanna when she lets me. I _know_ you. _You _would not betray this kingdom. _You cannot _be blamed for actions against your own free will. I will hear no more self-defamation from you."

Softly, Duke Baird asked, "While the shields are working well, are Numair, Lindhall and Harailt any closer to an answer?"

"It has been a few hours since I spoke to them. However, I feel confident that if any will solve it, the team working on it now will find a way. That includes yourself and Tkaa. Tortall is very lucky to have all of you."

Duke Baird bowed humbly.

"Do you have any suspicions as to who the 'Queen' Sinthya referred to might be?" Duke Gareth inquired.

"That is one of the biggest mysteries here. I can think of no queen that has ever been a threat to anyone, save my own," Jon smiled slightly, trying to lighten the mood. The worry in this room was far too great to allow humor, however. "Honestly, based on Sinthya's history, it seems like the kind of plot Ozorne might have come up with. Up until a few hours ago, I believed him dead without question. Now I want to know if he is or isn't." He took a sip of tea. "I have asked Myles to look into that very ques…." Jon broke off suddenly as the ground began to shake violently. The ground roared and began to collapse in places. Four cups of tea crashed to the floor, and the palace was filled with the sounds of breaking glass. The quake abruptly stopped, but the air was filled with a gasping sorrow. Jon knew this was magic and he knew somehow that someone was struggling to hold it back.

-----

George continued to ride toward Alanna's last known location. His only companion was a male griffin who flew in and out of sight. The griffin could easily have traveled faster than he, but George knew that mutual respect kept the griffin close. This was lucky, as the storm would have made travel impossible without the griffin's ability to see through the blinding snow. By all calculations, George would see Alanna within the next two hours. He could hold her and tell her how much she meant to him and that this was not her fault.

George thought about the last time he had seen his wife. She had been so filled with joy. They spent a week in their home before she was called again to service. They played games with their children, caught up on the news of the realm and spent many late hours making love or simply holding one another. They had talked about the upcoming mid-winter celebration and had made plans for that time. George knew the weight of guilt could destroy a soul. He wondered if he would ever see blithe Alanna again or if she would forever be replaced by a dismal shadow of herself.

A sound like the thunder of approaching hooves carried over the countryside. He had only enough time to pull himself into a tree and to shoo his mount to hide in the forest edge, before the herd of flesh eating unicorns trampled the road. If they found him, there would be far too many to survive a battle. George clung to the prickly evergreen trunk, shivering and praying for the chance to see his Lioness again. There had to be thirty of the beasts. They were a vile perversion of the usual unicorns, with fangs and evil eyes.

He could hardly believe his luck when the herd continued to race past him until he realized they were going in the direction of his love and her friends. He barely had time to hope for a strange coincidence when the ground began to roar and tremble. The surrounding snow was sucked up in a strange whirlwind, leaving the trees bare and dead grass dry and desolate. His skin felt instantly cracked, as if moisture were being pulled from everything around him. His horse whinnied with terror – the sound more of a shriek than he had ever heard from any equine. He scrambled from the tree before it shook him out. Then just as suddenly, the shaking stopped. He could feel the whine of the terrain as if it were being held in place. And black fire seeped through the rabbit holes and cracks around him. He must be close. And whatever had just happened, Numair must be the force holding it together. With that realization, he knew the unicorns were heading for Alanna. Fear gripped his heart and squeezed as he pulled himself together and climbed back on his terrified horse. "Just get me near my lass, boy," he told the gelding. "Then you can run for your life."

-

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-

It is quite cruel of me, but you will have to wait until the next chapter to find out what caused the earthquake. It was too long to be properly part of this chapter. I either made one way too long, or one a little short. It seemed best to go this way.


	18. Chapter 18 Power

**Disclaimer: This story is based on the fine work of Tamora Pierce. **

_Sunfish Sailor: I think it is too early for unicorn fever. But you're right that the timeline there is vague. I plan that as part of maelstrom. And you'll have to see what I think caused it smiling evilly_

_TammyPRocks: Yes, Cearl is behind the quake and no, Numair doesn't kill him. Wait until you see who does._

_Jules-Gemma – Glad you like it. I hope this one gets as much praise._

_Twilight Shades – I wrote it as fast as I could. There's still a cliffy though, sorry._

_Purple Eyed Cat – the answer to the earthquake is below. And I would be honored to look at your story. It may be tomorrow though. I'll hurry._

_Kit49 – Cearl was a bad, bad man. But then, you suspected that, didn't ya?_

**Chapter 18 - Power**

It took Numair only a split second to process the brilliant strategy. Something had alerted Daine to Cearl's duplicity. Somehow, she had convinced the mage that they were seeking an airborne enemy and she had naturally called for Numair's assistance. Once she saw Numair exit the tent, Daine confronted Cearl. "...why would you do that? Are you the fox?" Her bow was trained on Cearl and Numair was close enough to protect her from any spells, not that it was necessary. Her shield suit would protect her from most things.

Cearl took a step back and looked at the girl malevolently. "You're sharper than you look, aren't you? I shall not underestimate you again – not that I'll need to." A blast of white fire shot at her and Cearl smiled hugely when the girl seemed to vanish into thin air, her clothes drifting neatly to the ground. Had this been new to Numair, he might have been concerned. But he knew Daine and he knew her ability to protect herself. He also very briefly saw the pure white mouse jump into the snow in her path toward Cearl.

Numair surrounded himself and Cearl in a circle of fire to protect the others. He had no idea how difficult this fight was going to be. Although he had slightly stronger magic than Cearl, he wasn't fool enough to believe that Cearl would cower before him. He also didn't know what Daine was after, but it had to be something. He would trust her judgment and keep the other mage distracted as long as he could.

"Apparently you didn't learn from your mistakes the first time. There are certain rules of nature you don't bend, Cearl. The consequences of taking the free will of those around you will be visited upon you by the Gods." Numiar growled the words like a lesson to a lazy student.

"Fool! You think those Gods are the ones I answer to?" Cearl snarled. "Only you think you need protect the less powerful. Look where it has gotten you – you bow to a king who you could conquer in a breath. You don't deserve the type of power you were given." He threw a bolt of fire in an amazingly powerful beam of light. It could have melted the trees. But Numair deflected it, sending a cloud of their gifts towering and twisting into the sky.

"This can't have been you. It – it just can't," Onua interjected. She had crept forward and was shaking her head violently.

Cearl laughed at her sadistically. "Do you think you're that special? You drop your breeches for me and change my nature? You were so easy to manipulate. You did everything I wanted. I'll bet they suspected me. But out of friendship for you, they pushed it aside, as I imagined they would. I read your open, pathetic mind like a book. You're nothing new. Better women than you sell themselves on the streets of Carthak."

A concussive spell smashed into Cearl's chest, knocking the wind from him. Black fire wound itself around him and squeezed like a boa constrictor. The pain was visible on his face. "Don't listen to him, Onua," Numair seethed. "He's so far beneath you he should look like the worm he is."

Onua sobbed violently. Then Alanna was there, trying to comfort her. Numair was impressed how all of his friends seemed ready to fight. Alanna, barred from magic, was armed, but stayed well back, to let black robe fight black robe until another friend needed her. He knew Harailt and Lindhall were right behind him to lend their magic if need be. It was comforting. Even Daniel, who he barely knew, had prepared his sword. But what was Daine up to? Then he saw the white mouse leap, shifting smoothly into a hyena and taking Cearl's left hand off just above the wrist. He was shocked. Pain washed through his features and he swayed visibly. Daine then shifted smoothly to a cheetah and raced away. Numair let her out of his barrier and watched as she spit and vomited her prize. Cearl was in far too much pain to react immediately. When he did react it was a whisper that made the hairs on Numair's neck stand on end. He tried to silence the sorcerer, but was too late.

A rolling earth quake shook the ground. Every piece of nature seemed to cry out. Appalled, Numair yelled for Harailt and Lindhall, "I need to drop the shields." Ghostly white, the two men nodded and rebuilt the protective shields over Alanna, Daniel, and Daine in their own powerful gifts. The air seemed to be drawing every piece of moisture around it and the land rocked while Cearl laughed maniacally. A tidal wave rose and loomed above them as if they were on a shore, though they were a long way from any ocean. The water had come from the land itself brought by the last word of power any mage should be fool enough to invoke. Black fire shot in every direction and the earthquake ceased while the tidal wave hung in mid-air threateningly. Numair could temporarily hold it back, but there would be no way to fight Cearl too.

"Always the hero, aren't you Draper? Think you can save your precious country too? No one man has that power."

"You cannot run from this, you fool," Numair cried. "You will send us all to the Black God!"

"This is not the only realm in which I'm welcome. Will your precious Goddess come and revive you again? I think one resurrection per lifetime is all you're allowed, Draper."

Then he heard a K'Miri war cry and he saw Cearl lurch forward stunned. The mage made a gutteral noise and the head of a spear pushed through the front of his coat. He swayed and then fell face first. Onua stood behind him, a hateful glare on her face. She spit at the body before her, tears still running down her face.

Numair felt his knees begin to buckle under the weight of the disaster he was holding back. He sagged to a kneeling position, swaying. He tried to send the moisture back into the land and felt some of it move, but the power cost was staggering.He saw Daine shift to human and despite her state of undress, she motioned Alanna forward and held out something that sparkled. Alanna reached for it with trembling hands and held the prize reverently.

Behind Numair a warm hand grabbed his. Lindhall focused, offering every piece of his power to bolster Numair's fight against the elements. "No one man has this power, Numair, but you are not alone," Lindhall said in his quiet voice.

Numair never saw it take place, but suddenly, Alanna was free of her shield and she too joined the fight against the tidal wave. Last, Harailt finished the circle. With the added strength, Numair began to push the water back where it belonged. He felt exhausted and weak and the others watched him trustingly, knowing that only he had the knowledge to fight this.

So tired he could barely hold his head up, he thought he would fail them all, until Daine joined them. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, steadying him from behind and whispered encouragingly, "You're doing it Numair, you're almost there." As if somehow she found a way to give him some of her wild magic too, the tide turned. The water moved back to the ground in a rush, leaving all of nature to sigh in exhaustion.

Numair pitched backward when the others let him go, falling against Daine. The other mages looked tired, but Numair knew he was completely drained. The magical fight had been mostly his. He had caught the catastrophe before it had been completed. Daine petted his hair, while Lindhall, Harailt and Alanna laughed in relief. He didn't know when Daine had found time to get dressed, but she was. He felt Lindhall pat his shoulder."You did it, my boy, you did it," he praised.

But the surprises of the day weren't over. The thunderous sound of hooves borne on the wind rushed through their ears. Numair tried to sit up, but there wasn't enough power left in him to do it. "Unicorns!" Daine told the others. He tried again to rise. "Shhhhh," she soothed, "You did your part. Now it's time for me to do mine. Let us take care of this. Rest now." He half wanted to argue and half wanted to tell her how incredible she was. He had nothing left for either so he settled for smiling sleepily.

The last thing he saw before he dropped into unconsciousness was Daine taking a protective stance above him, bow at the ready.

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respond please


	19. Chapter 19 Unicorns

**Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce wrote these great stories about a place called Tortall. Her characters visit me in my head. Take a glimpse.**

_A/N: Now here's the kicker – in RotG, Numair convinces Hedensra that if they fight near the others, he might get a spear in the back. Hehehe, the last chapter explained where the story might have come from._

_Narms Briton 44: Thank you so much. I loved writing the last chapter. It's hard to top. And I promise I won't ever write about Marxist alien marshmallows, although they might actually make a nice cameo for your story "Over-exaggerated". I'm jealous of your ability to write that kind of humor._

_Nativewildmage: I planned that Onua would kill him from the beginning. I'm glad everybody liked it. _

_Jules-Gemma: Thanks! I think so too._

_Tammy P RoCKs: No this won't go to RotG. This will end soon at midwinter. The next story planned is called "Maelstrom" and it will be followed by RotG from Numair's POV and is yet unnamed._

_Sunfish Sailor: Most everybody didn't figure out why Daine bit his arm off. You got it though. I'm an insane updater aren't I?_

_Purple Eyed Cat: I'm glad it feels like a book to you. I must be doing something right._

_Twighlight Shades: The answer to the 30 unicorns is below._

_Ethalas Tuath'an: Cearl was using Onua, controlling Alanna, Daine, Raoul, Gary, and Daniel, pretending to be in peril when he wasn't and a whole lot of other nasty, treacherous things. The thing Daine gave to Alanna is partially explained below. But you have to wait until the next chapter to totally understand it._

_Kit49: I felt like that was my best ever chapter. There was a lot of action going on. Could I have done anything different to not lose you? I know it was a little different to the way it usually goes between them. I'm building their relationship and ability to fight together alone. By the time we get to RotG, everyone will be able to see why Jon would dispatch the two alone._

_1reallyblue1: Thank you so much. Your praise really made my day._

**Chapter 19 – Unicorns**

Chickadees, sparrows, and starlings seemed appear from every tree on three sides of them. The cloud of birds headed south. Alanna looked nervously to Daine, who was standing protectively over Numair's prone body. "I can slow them down I think," the girl said. "The birds don't dare fight, but can confuse them. And they will give me a count as best they can."

The thunderous sound of hooves dropped almost instantly. The air still felt thick and Alanna's ember necklace was glowing ominously.

Alanna watched Tahoi drag a pack from Numair's tent and stick his nose in, rummaging. One after another, the dog gently picked out five small cloth packages. Three falcons appeared from somewhere, lifting the packages in their talons to line the road between the trees where the unicorns would soon appear. "Are those Numair's powder packs?" Alanna asked.

"Yes," Daine said, focusing. "Is that going to be the best location, or do you want them farther out?"

"That's perfect," she answered as two falcons returned to retrieve the last two packs. Alanna knew she was smiling. She didn't know how big the force they would be facing was, but as long as it wasn't more than forty, they probably had a chance.

"What are Numair's powder packs?" Daniel asked nervously.

"They explode rather well when lit with fire. We can do it magically. I've still got enough magic left. I'm sure Harailt does too." The university mage nodded, mouth in a pale, thin line. "Lindhall, what have you got left?"

"I'm low, but I can fight a little. Unfortunately, it won't be long until I'm out of fire power. I gave a lot to Numair."

"There's about thirty flesh eating unicorns. They are very focused as if someone sent them, but the birds have slowed them down," Daine said loudly. "There's a – it feels like a griffin, fairly close behind them and – and a man on horseback – the description sounds like George."

Alanna felt herself pale. "Why is George here?"

"Numair asked for him to come," a hoarse voice answered. It was Onua. She too wielded a bow now. "Where do you want me?"

Alanna tried not to think about why Numair would ask George to come here when the trip was so potentially dangerous. She positioned her friends, placing Lindhall in the back of the line. She charged him with lighting the powder packs.

She saw Daine leave Numair long enough to remove the pans from the fire where they had been boiling over. The girl set them on the rocks around the fire ring and returned to her post. Alanna watched her with a little awe. When had this young girl turned into such a strong and stable woman? Daine reported, "We'll see them in a few minutes. I had to send a few of the birds to the back to cloud George from their view."

Another very hoarse voice entered the conversation now. "Daine, have Lindhall spell your arrows."

Alanna realized that Numair had come to, but he was very weak. His skin was grey and even his eyes appeared pale and translucent. He tried to lift his head to speak louder. "Spell the arrows," he said again. "You're a crack shot. If each arrow can kill a unicorn, you are capable of taking out almost a dozen by yourself."

A huge smile spread across Alanna's face. "I'll take care of it, Numair." Purple fire surrounded Daine's quiver. "It would be better if you had individual spells on each, but this should do the job."

This was the part Alanna hated the most – waiting. It was harder to hear the unicorn's approach now that the birds had slowed them, but it was almost as if anticipation made it possible to hear their breath.

When the first two moved into view she raised a hand, ready to signal Lindhall. But the griffin came out of no where, attacking one of them viciously. If they wanted to save the griffin the powder packs would have to wait, unless… The griffin's eyes grew wide and it rose to the air, racing behind Alanna and her friends. It had to have been Daine. "Now, Lindhall!

When the first powder pack exploded, the concussive explosion took out three of the beasts. Alanna heard Daniel scream his enthusiasm with a loud, "Yeah!"

More unicorns broke through the smoke only to be felled by another explosion and then another. Two successfully broke through the line and were taken down by two fast arrows from Daine and Onua. The final two blasts knocked the number down to thirteen and again the griffin attacked one.

Alanna used her crossbow now at close quarters, while Harailt attacked with mage fire. More arrows whizzed by from Daine's bow. Between the bows, swords and sorcerers, it was over before they really realized they'd triumphed. Two unicorns lay dead far back from where the others attacked and Alanna saw her husband reach to pull his daggers from their targets.

When he stood up, their eyes locked and they raced to one another, throwing weapons aside as they went. It didn't matter that the whole camp was watching or that they had to leap over carcasses of dead immortals. She flew to the one man in all the world that could make everything feel all right again, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. His mouth claimed hers and they stayed there for what seemed a long time, kissing and murmuring until a vicious roar brought them back to themselves.

The griffin had found Cearl. If the mage was not quite dead yet, it was clear nothing would bring him round again. The griffin ripped him to pieces, splattering blood and entrails as he did so. Daniel had run for cover and Harailt looked to Alanna for direction.

"This piece of scum killed his lil' one," George explained. "They can always tell."

Daine approached the griffin cautiously, looking the beast directly in the eye. She bowed slightly. The griffin preened a couple of feathers from its wings and held them out to her in its beak. She reached out and took them. Then the griffin picked up Cearl's severed head and flew away toward the southern horizon.

Daine carried the feathers to George. "He says he wants you to have these as a token of his promise. He says you have earned his respect and that he will guard your shoreline."

George took the feathers with an almost shaking hand, an amazed look on his face.

Daine smiled brightly at him. "I need to look after Numair. The soup was done. It might be a little too hot and a little scorched at the bottom. We also have eggs, though we may want to toss them." Her eyes twinkled slightly.

"What has happened here?" George asked. He still had one arm around Alanna, holding her tight.

"I will tell you everything, laddybuck," Alanna said to him. "But I needed to use the privy before all this happened and it's high time I attend to it." She winked at her husband and he laughed.

As she walked toward the privy, she saw Daine holding a water skin to Numair's mouth. His head was cradled on her lap and she was watching him with the most loving expression. Alanna shook her head. If the whole camp didn't figure this out today, they were definitely blind.

-----

Daine sat down and pulled Numair's head into her lap. He stirred slightly. He looked so tired and weak. "I brought you some water and a little soup," she said. "The soup is quite hot, so let's start with the water." She held the water skin to his mouth and he drank gratefully. She stroked his cheek while he drank and watched him, thinking about how willingly he had fought to save their world.

Alanna walked by, smiling at them. Daine waived and gave Numair a little more water. He seemed to come around a bit then. "Are you all right?" he asked in a whisper. "You bit Cearl and…."

"I spit out the blood and purged everything," she said matter-of-factly. "But I knew I had to get the bracelet."

"What?" he asked hoarsely. He tried to sit up and George walked over and tutted at him.

"When a pretty girl is willin' ta let ye' lay in her lap, I say go with it." His hazel eyes twinkled mischievously and Daine couldn't help but laugh.

"When we were talking to Cearl earlier, I saw a gemmed bracelet. Kit trilled at it and it glowed. It made my head ache. It took me a while to put it together. I realized it was the same feeling before I blacked out and attacked you. So I went after it. I wasn't sure if it would be everything, but I wasn't gonna' let him keep it if there was a chance."

Numair smiled at her. "Very smart. I'd really like to examine it. Where is it now?"

"I have it." Alanna answered. She had returned from the privy and she held out the bracelet so Numair could see. He tried to raise a hand to take it, but clearly didn't have the energy.

Daine smoothed his hair again. "Let's get some soup into you. You can analyze it when you've rested. You held the world together today. You deserve a nap." She saw Alanna and George smile at each other. She lifted a spoon full of soup and blew on it before feeding it to him.

He started to look a little a stronger and worked at sitting up again. "Hard-headed, I'd say," George remarked. "Like I said, if that beauty wanted to pet and molly-coddle me, I'd let her." Alanna socked his arm.

Numair pulled himself to a sitting position and swayed. "I think I might too under different circumstances. But I think Onua might need Daine even more than I do. Thank you though, Magelet. So you know, I may have held the world together, but it was only because you were holding me up. Don't forget that." Daine looked into his eyes and saw something there that held her fascinated. She felt herself pulled toward him inexplicably, but he swayed again and the moment was lost.

Daine sighed heavily. "Can you lift a spoon yet?" she asked almost teasingly.

"I'll manage. Take care of our friend. She's hurting." His brown eyes closed repeatedly, as if he was fighting sleep. He lifted the bowl of soup to his mouth and sipped it.

Daine was hesitant to leave him, but knew Alanna and George would watch over him. She slid out from under him and walked over to Onua's tent and poked her head in. Her K'miri friend was sitting cross-legged, with Tahoi stretched across her lap. Kit was purring at her softly. "May I join you?" Daine asked softly.

When Onua looked up, her face was streaked with tears. She never answered, but she looked so broken that Daine rushed to put her arms around her. Onua sobbed for the longest time and they didn't speak. Daine could only hug her and wait. When the sobs finally lessened, she heard Onua croak, "Why didn't I see it?"

Daine's heart ached for her friend. "I didn't either, Onua. I thought he was charming. Until I caught him lying, I believed he was a good guy."

"Was he right though? Did you suspect him and push it aside for me?"

Daine looked to Kit, who was still in the room and knew she dare not lie. "Onua, I thought it was strange that he didn't fight more. But I never saw him as a threat. I would have said something if I did. I never exactly trusted him, but I was never looking for him to be the cause of our troubles. And honestly, after I was taken over, I wanted someone to blame."

Onua looked her in the eye. Her face was blotchy and swollen. Her eyes were terribly bloodshot and seemed almost emerald green, instead of their usual greenish color. She only nodded in answer.

"Onua, Numair told me once about how mages can fool people with a kind of mind control. Usually, they need to use something shiny -- a coin or trinket." Onua nodded again as if she too had learned this. "But Numair doesn't need a shiny object. Maybe Cearl didn't either. You said you don't really know why you and he got together. Is it possible that it wasn't your idea?"

Onua looked thoughtful for a moment. "Horse lords, I want that to be true. It just isn't. I was lonely."

Daine understood completely. There were moments that she was lonely and wanted to take solace in someone. She could picture how easily a man might draw her into a relationship. Onua had been alone a long time. Still, men watched her. Perhaps Onua was too shy to recognize it. The only men she had actually seen her K'Miri friend flirt with were George and Numair and she didn't want either one of them. That was all just for fun.

"How is Numair?" Onua asked finally, patting Daine on the shoulder."

"Weak but curious about the bracelet. If he can think about studies, that probably means he will be all right." Both women giggled at that.

They sat in silence for a long time, both trying to figure out what to say.

"What I need is to keep busy," Onua said, pulling herself out of her tent. Daine followed. "I'm going to bury some unicorns and take care of horses and clean up camp. When we're ready to hit the road again, I'll be glad to get shot of this place."

Daine smiled understandingly. She was tired of camping herself. She was tired of monsters, and tired of battles, and tired of seeing her friends in pain. She wanted to get back to Corus and have a real, long bath and think about everything that had happened from the point of a distant memory, not a fresh ache.

She heard Alanna giggle and looked up to see George struggling to help Numair move awkwardly into his tent. He seemed all legs right now. He was so exhausted. She ran over to help and she looked at Alanna realizing that her violet eyes had regained their light for the first time in days. Numair had known Alanna needed George to recover and he had arranged it. George could ease Alanna's aching heart, just as Numair was always able to ease Daine's. She wished there was someone to send for to help Onua, but there wasn't. The best she could do was help to keep her busy and to get them back to Corus as soon as possible.

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Don't worry, I'm not done yet. Please review.


	20. Chapter 20 Kisses

**Disclaimer: This story is based on the incredible work of Tamora Pierce, without whom the wonderful characters Daine and Numair would not exist. **

_A/N: Everybody has been bugging me about who belongs with Onua. If you have read "Trickster's Choice" you already know because of the naming day ceremony. You'll get to see it here. _

_Ethalas Tuath'an: I love writing George. He makes everything fun. That was Daine as I see her to a "T". There were so many little things covered in there, including the spelled arrows thing. _

_Jules-Gemma: Thanks _

_Purple Eyed Cat: If you've read TC, you already know the answer to that. _

_Kit49: Yes, FORESHADOWING! And both were so tired and worried about the other that they didn't realize what George was telling them. You'll have to wait for that part. The almost near quote from RotG is on purpose, but I doubt if anyone but you will really realize it. I wanted to make it so that when she says she knows she loves him, it's because there's no doubt left. And don't worry about Onua. Love is coming her way in the sweetest way. _

_1reallyblue1: I loved making George's lines. They were my favorite. Like when I write Evin, he's fun because he's naturally a fun-loving man. _

_ConfusedKnight: I hope this chapter clears it all up for you. _

_Narm's Briton 44: I knew you'd like the carnage. And as much as I might want them to go together, I can't. It doesn't happen for 6 months. _

_Nativewildmage: Glad you liked it. _

**Chapter 20 - Kisses**

True to her word, Onua had stayed busy, trying not to think about Cearl or the events of their trip north. It had taken a couple days for Numair to regain his strength and for the weather to permit travel, plus another two days to reach Corus. Once they were back at the capital there was clean up work to do there too. The earthquake had affected everything within a 200 mile radius.

Then Onua had thrown herself into preparations for the Mid-Winter festival, volunteering to help in so many places there was no time to think. She had not thought about Cearl since the ride back when she had learned a few things that made the truth even harder to face. It seemed that nearly everything she thought she knew about him was either a lie or truth so badly stretched that it was barely recognizable. He had not, for example, been invited to join Lindhall, Harailt, and Numair, but had volunteered out of the blue. Although Lindhall had mentioned Daine in his correspondence, he had not ever divulged her name or very many details about her magic other than that it was wild magic. Onua would probably never know if Cearl had cried over his horse, or if that was one of those things he took from reading her mind like "an open, pathetic book". And they could not be sure if the spidren attack was real or staged.

Discovering Cearl's role in the mind-control magic had left more questions than answers. Although they were certain that he had "infected" Daine, Alanna, Raoul and probably Daniel, they were not certain if he had actually been the one to infect Gary. The presence of the stormwing had never been cleared up, and they didn't know how he knew so much about them.

The bracelet had been a unique thing. Each gem stone represented an individual and gave him a glimpse into their lives. That was unnerving for the women especially. He could literally see what they were doing at any given time. When Daine and Alanna had looked at it in those first few moments after Daine had taken it, they had seen themselves in the stones, exactly the way a third party would view them.

A small bottle of griffin blood potion had been found in Cearl's belongings and the book they had seen him reading repeatedly explained the spell. It gave the mages the knowledge to counteract everything in case Cearl had an accomplice somewhere.

The griffin blood potion had been mixed and poured on gems best matching each individual and tying them to it. He could then focus his power into the stones to make them do whatever he wished. The stones had included an amethyst for Alanna (a power stone), aquamarine for Daniel and Raoul (courage stones), sapphire for Daine (a nature power stone), tourmaline for Gary (a wisdom stone) and several unused stones of emerald, jasper, and jade. A small piece of malachite between each tied them together. The mages had even speculated that the emeralds were intended for powerful sorcerers (probably Numair and Harailt). Although Numair, Lindhall, and Harailt had explained all of this, Onua didn't understand the brilliance of the spell. She only understood that it represented her failure to her friends.

The mid-winter festival, a week-long celebration surrounding the longest night of the year, was underway now. There was little else to focus on this time of year. The castle held a banquet and dancing each night in which the pages were always asked to serve. The nobles, ladies of the court, and other esteemed guests were invited each night. But Buri had always hated parties of that magnitude. She had made her own tradition for a private party for the Queen's Riders held on the third night of the festival (the day before the longest night of the year). It was that party that Onua had poured her efforts into this year and she was uncertain what distractions she would find when it was over. That party was to begin in a few short hours.

The party was casual, unlike the big parties at the castle, and Onua dressed in her nicest tan breeches and yellow shirt with a darker yellow tunic thrown over for warmth. The riders would snack on finger foods, sing songs accompanied by whoever had instruments and was willing to play, and tell stories of the year. Onua knew that stories of their adventure were likely. That knowledge ate at her.

It wasn't as if her friends had deserted her either. With the exception of Alanna and George, all would be there that evening. Alanna and George had decided to leave the children with their grandparents and spend some time alone. They were probably in Pirate's Swoop, but they might also have headed for the dessert. Everyone else who knew first-hand about her relationship with Cearl was coming to the rider's party in the barracks. Even Numair and Harailt, who almost always liked to be in the middle of the court happenings had chosen to be there.

Daine had stuck close, providing as much comfort as Onua could ever ask. That evening she knocked on Onua's door. Onua opened it to find Daine dressed in a pretty, silk pantsuit that was probably left from her trip to Carthak. She, too, had added a tunic for warmth. It was dark blue and looked to be made of wool. Her hair was down and loose and looked a bit wild, no doubt crackling with static from the wool. She had Kit balanced on one hip and was carrying a big plate of cookies. "Hello Onua, you look more beautiful than ever," the girl said kindly. "Thayet sent these. She says she plans to drop by later since ours is the 'real party'." She laughed, eyes twinkling.

For a moment, Onua found herself caught in the memory of this young girl like she looked when Onua first saw her. The difference was startling. She could see the waif-like thirteen year old, her haunted eyes, too thin face and desperate expression – asking for work and pretending to be fifteen -- the age she actually was now. They were almost like two different people. The young woman before her was beautiful, responsible and self-assured. Onua realized for the first time that Daine was marriage age for commoners now. She wondered how long it would be until the clerk started hanging around again. She saw Daine as her daughter in a way, and resolved to help her find happiness.

When they got to the mess hall they discovered that Buri and the seventh riders had returned. Evin Larse had put on his best player clothes and was doing magic tricks for his friends. That boy was always the center of attention. He waived enthusiastically at Onua and Daine when they came in and managed to drop the coin he had been hiding. The uproar of laughter only spurred him on. Buri walked up and embraced Onua tightly. "It's good to see you back in one piece," the shorter K'mir told her.

Kuri Taylor was passing out small sandwiches, wearing a glowing smile. Even Raoul of Goldenlake had decided to join them. He normally hated the pomp and circumstance of the castle and he greeted Onua warmly from the doorway. Buri dragged the tall man outside for a brief sparring match soon after and Onua laughingly wondered who would triumph.

They all mingled awhile before the riders gathered to sing a few songs, making room for Onua and her Citole. There were two guitar players in the crowd too and one lute player. Numair had brought his flute, and Kuri had brought a small harp that was badly out of tune. They played all the old favorites first, singing loudly and, in some cases, off-key. She had arranged to do the new songs, though she really wasn't into thinking about love tonight. But when it came time for Sarge to sing, it was Numair instead who nervously stepped to the center. Sarge sat down next to Onua and grinned reassuringly at her.

Sarge had a clear, very deep voice and Onua liked the sound when they had practiced. Numair's was not so deep and not so loud, but still she liked the effect as he seemed more in touch with his own words. He sang softly, barely looking around him, facing the doorway as if he might be hoping for escape. Onua noticed that Daine watched him from the back of the crowd where it would be hard for him to find her. When he was finished, the applause was tremendous.

Now that the riders had Numair where he was easy to interrogate, they started to ask about the trip north and Cearl. Onua found she couldn't stand to stay. She excused herself and left, barely realizing that Sarge followed her out of the door.

"That mage has a way with lyrics," he said conversationally.

"He likes words, it makes sense," Onua answered.

"Yes, but I meant the sentiment." The former slave was a huge man, towering over everyone and especially Onua. He sat down by the well and looked up at the stars. "I like a good love song."

"I'm not sure I do any more. I think I'm pretty much through with love, in general," she said.

"Oh, I hope that isn't true. You might break a heart or two with that vow." The deep rumble of his voice gave the words an emphasis that caught her by surprise.

She looked up into his large brown eyes and saw something she'd never noticed before – a gentleness and shyness that seemed both akin and in conflict with everything she'd ever known about this man. "Love can make a fool of the smartest person, but it's the kinda' fool everybody oughta' get to be at least once." He smiled, his teeth showing a shocking white in features almost hidden in the night. He took one of her small tan hands in his large umber hand, raised it to his lips and kissed it. "Someday, I'll be your fool if you want." There was so much warmth in the words that she felt herself shiver pleasantly. She moved toward him without realizing it and felt strong arms envelope her. When their lips met, it was the most gentle kiss she had ever experienced.

When they broke apart, he stared deeply into her eyes with a look of burning passion. "You don't have to decide anything now. I'll keep waitin' until you're ready." A large hand stroked her cheek once more and then he stood and walked back to the party, leaving Onua's heart to pound in the chill night air.

-----

By the time Onua and Sarge returned to the party, Numair was starting to feel uncomfortable. The riders were playing a party game called "Kiss and Tell". It was apparently a Rider's Party tradition but seemed like something that would be more fun after a lot of wine. Wine was banned from the Rider's Baracks. The players dropped their name in a hat where they were chosen out at random. Then they had to draw a slip from two of three jars. One slip came from the "challenge" jar corresponding to their sex and the other came from the "tattle" jar. Numair wasn't participating. He was sitting in a corner with Lindhall and Harailt, drinking tea and discussing renewing their attempts to repair the barrier.

He didn't pay much attention to the game, glancing at it only briefly, until Daine's name was pulled. She good naturedly reached into the tattle jar and handed the slip to Miri who read, "Who was the first person you kissed and who was the best person you kissed?"

Daine blushed slightly and said, "Evin, at this very party a year ago and also Evin at this party a year ago." This pronouncement was followed by a lot of whooping and whistling. Numair had the incredible urge to send a little fire at the tall, blond player, but he chastised himself. He tried to chuckle along with Lindhall.

"Daine, have you ever even kissed anyone else?" a boy teased. She turned bright red and nodded defiantly.

"But Evin's still the best?" a thin brunette girl teased incredulously. Numair thought they had introduced her as Rose.

"Look at him," Daine said shrugging. "That's a well-practiced mouth." The jibe received a roar of laughter and even Numair had to join in, though he tried to stifle it with his hand.

The only girl not laughing, Daine's friend Miri, held out the girl's challenge jar. Miri read, "Kiss the tallest man in the room."

Good naturedly, Daine said, "Okay, but I think I'm going to need a chair to stand on."

"Come on, you can't make the poor girl kiss her teacher," Harailt objected with a grin.

"Don't worry, they're not." Numair said softly, trying not to think about the kiss worth dying for he had experienced two weeks before. He tilted his head to indicate Sarge. Lindhall started to laugh. Numair said loudly, "Don't worry, Magelet, I'll give you a boost. Nod when you're ready."

Multiple voices teased, "Pucker up, Sarge" and made kissing noises at them.

She walked over to Sarge and held her arms out, nodding to Numair. Black fire lifted her up fifteen inches and she planted a light kiss on Sarge's mouth. Numair let her down softly.

Everybody was clapping and cheering. Miri ran over to Numair and said, "Fly me next" and wiggled her eyebrows. Numair distinctly heard Harailt and Lindhall stifling laughter.

Evin glared in Numair's general direction and when Miri turned around, he said, "Miri, I'm tired of flirting." He swept the girl into his arms and kissed her deeply, right there in front of everybody. When he let her go, Evin said, "Mid-Winter luck, Miri." Renewed "Ohhs", "Ahhs" and whistles rang through the room.

Onua said, "Miri, can I have Daine's slip of paper?" The "ooohs" that followed left most everybody in better spirits as Onua walked Sarge back out of the room.

"This looks like fun. Can anyone play?" a soft voice said. Numair looked up.

"Elyra," he said with a grin and rose to greet her. She greeted the mages enthusiastically, eyes barely leaving Lindhall's countenance. They listened to Elyra's story about the treaty, which was officially back on with the addition of a betrothal between Prince Roald and one of the new emporer's nieces.

After a while, the noise of the party seemed to be dropping slightly.Seeing his friend's face, Numair whispered to Lindhall, "Would you like me to have Miri make a slip directing Elyra to kiss the second tallest mage in the room, or are you going to take care of it on your own?"

Lindhall looked surprised at Numair. "It's not – we're not – she's…"

"Trust me," Numair whispered encouragingly

Lindhall took Elyra by the hand and led her out the door while Numair grinned. He looked up to see Daine watching him. What was that expression on her face? He found himself wishing he had played so he could've kissed the most beautiful girl in the room guilt-free. Pushing the thought aside, he turned to Harailt and said, "I think I should probably call it a night."

As if he wasn't feeling strange enough about his feelings for Daine, as he walked back to his rooms Numair saw Perin walking to the Rider's Party. He took solace in only one thought, Daine didn't prefer Perin's kiss to Evin's and Evin was now taken. Maybe they wouldn't resume dating. Then again, he probably shouldn't hope for that.

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_There is still the epilogue to come. Until then, please respond. _


	21. Chapter 21 Epilogue Love

**Disclaimer: This work is based on the literary genius of Tamora Pierce. If you recognize it, it's probably hers.**

_A/N: I feel it only fair to warn you that this story does not have the typical "happy ending". Usually an epilogue ties up loose ends. This time it will leave them. Those will have to be fixed in "Maelstrom" and "Taken". Those are my next fics. Maelstrom deals with the time between this and RotG and Taken will be RotG from Numair's POV._

_Nativewildmage: Don't feel bad about not realizing they were together. It never actually says as much, although I always saw them as belonging. I was actually really happy when I saw them together in TC because I thought they should be a couple. I'm glad you've liked this fic._

_Ethalas Tuath'an: Elyra had just arrived back in Corus. It's reasonable to say that she met with Jon first and probably attended the banquet. But she wanted to see Lindhall, so she went to find him. When Numair hears her ask if anyone can play, that's when she just walked in the door. I hope what Daine feels for Numair isn't unclear. She loves him and it says as much several times throughout the story. To her it isn't as complicated as it is to Numair, and since she's more practical and he's more political, that's how it should be._

_Lady Araceli: It really was only two months. I like how Lindhall had to be pushed into action – always a gentleman. There was a lot of kissing in that chapter. My favorite kiss though was between Sarge and Onua. Everything about that was him letting her know that he would never be the way her husband was. Very sigh worthy!_

_Kit49: The "fool for you" line might be a bit cliché now, but in the time frame, it would have been an unbelievable statement. He was letting her know that she would never again be beaten, never again be considered property, and would be loved forever, and he was willing to do it from a distance if that's what she wanted. I loved putting it that way because that is how she needed it to be. I love Onua._

_Purple Eyed Cat: It's funny how many people want me to rush Daine and Numair's relationship. It won't happen in this story. But the long awaited chapter where Numair looks at his feelings is below._

**Epilogue – Love**

The Winter Solstice dawned clear and cool with a bright sunrise filled with almost magical colors. Those who did not possess magic and were awake for the display were awed and were sure it was a gift from the gods. Those who did possess magic – Gift, Immortal, and Wild – labored to hear something that was not a sound. Numair sat up in his bed pouring sweat and breathing hard, hair plastered to his head. Though he could not see them, he _knew_ what all the other mages in the city and palace were doing. The king, awake and working in his study, knocked his chair over when he jumped to his feet. Harailt of Aili, the dean of the royal university, flailed in bed and fell out with a thud. Lindhall Reed and Elyra Kelton, who were sharing an early morning tea, each dropped their cups, which shattered on the floor. Gareth the Elder of Naxen pressed a hand to his laboring heart. Kuri Taylor swayed on her feet, half fainting. Even those with wild magic registered on his senses. Onua jumped out of her dawn bath, shrieking a K'miri War Cry. Stephan Groomsman fell out of his loft, landing safely on several bales of hay, while the horses that loved him whickered with concern.

And Daine sat up in her bed nest of cats, dragon, marmosets, martens and dogs, eyes wide in the gloom, soft pink lips parted. Kit trilled without stopping, her voice spreading in a series of rippling pools, soon to reach and fill the palace itself.

"Kit, hush," Numair heard Daine say, though she did not try to enforce the directive. "Numair, what is it?"

He did not question her knowing that he knew what she had said, in spite of hundreds of yards and numerous buildings between them, any more than she questioned it. In that moment, as the sun climbed over the horizon, any wall seemed vague and ghostly. "It's the barrier," he answered softly. "The barrier between the realms. It's – gone, evaporated."

He could feel her blink, as if those long dark lashes of hers touched his cheek. He reached for the point of contact with the young woman he was in love with. But it was not real. _The woman he was in love with? _Suddenly he learned something he'd never considered before. This feeling he had fought for months – this truth he had both searched for and shied away from -- he had fallen in love with Daine.

He struggled to breathe as the fresh knowledge erased even his sense of magical cataclysm. He could see it all now – the eager touches, jealousy, adoration, dreams, private jokes, and protectiveness. He had fallen very deeply in love with his student. He had poured his emotions into those songs, ignoring their meaning because he could close the cover when the song was put to paper. He had pushed aside the desperation to be near her and disregarded his moments of envy in an unconscious effort to insulate himself from a reality he wasn't ready to face.

Her next words broke through his thoughts. "The immortals – they'll be on us like a ton of bricks," she said in her most practical voice. "I'd best get up."

He stood, shaking, and walked to his work room. He used several gems to draw the magic in the air away, afraid someone would hear his thinking. He sat back on his bed and placed his face in his hands. He was fourteen years her senior – fourteen years! He was already studying magic in Carthak for four years before she was born. While she was learning to walk, he was probably taking his apprentice tests and – oh Gods – the first time he slept with a woman Daine was only four! He could remember when he was sixteen actually referring to a thirty year old as an _old_ man. He wondered if that's what she thought when she looked at him.

He wasn't exactly certain when this became love, but he was aware it had been so for a while. Looking back he could see how the seed was planted as far back as when they first met. She saved his life. He had admired her greatly for her strength. He could remember spending the trip back with Daine and Onua, laughing and joking like he rarely did. So often Numair would get wrapped up in one kind of magical working or another and forget important little things like eating, let alone attending to such things as maintaining friendships. This was not so where Daine was concerned and it had never been. He could remember being so scared when she healed the dragon and fainted that he forgot to hold off the dampeners in Pirate's Swoop.

Other memories flooded his mind. He replayed moments in Dunlath when they had been separated for so long and he was so terrified that he would find her dead. He had flown to her despite knowing that he would need his magic. Seeing her lying on the floor unconscious had nearly ripped him apart and he had held his breath until he found a pulse. He had denied to himself for so long the reason he had used a word of power on Tristan Staghorn when he had always been so careful, always reminding himself that such things had consequences. He had done it to protect Daine. Tristan targeted her and Numair wouldn't let her be killed.

He drew his hands slowly down his face, stretching the flesh as he did so. His mind drifted to Carthak – the dreams, hitting Ozorne, hunting for Daine desperately. It was all there and so completely obvious. He would have done anything to protect her, including acting like a fool to warn a swain not to toy with her emotions.

And as if that wasn't bad enough, the Copper Isles Peace Accord should have clued him in. Everyone was buzzing about how beautiful Elyra Kelton was. All he could see was Daine. _Daine, Daine, Daine, Daine!_ Don't people always think of those they love when they die? He certainly had. He saw Daine in his mind's eye after he sent Michael to Alanna. There were no thoughts of his mother or any other family. There were no memories of any other friends. It was all her.

Then he thought about Cearl de Romondo and the word of power that could have destroyed his whole world. He nearly failed. Feeling her there that day – that's what had reminded him of what he was fighting for. He was not sure if he had drawn power from her or simply resolve.

Every time he had lost control of his magic in the last few months was a moment when she was threatened. When he thought she might not forgive him for their fight, he had actually entertained the darkest thoughts. He could even see moments when his need to touch her had put them in highly inappropriate positions – positions that could trick a young girl into a relationship that she didn't want. His chest began to ache, a hollow feeling which he was certain was the reason people had decided to call it heart-ache when love was unrequited. She couldn't love him. She _shouldn't_ love him. She was everything that was wonderful and open and he was everything that was depressing and droll – even his magic was black.

The desperate part of his mind began to argue. _She has never pushed me away._ But then Daine had suffered so much in her life that perhaps she was incapable of causing him pain. _How could love really harm her though?_ She could be drawn into something she didn't want, his realistic self argued, and then she might miss the person she would really want to be with. _Who? Perin Porter? That clerk couldn't be her someone, he's too --common._ Numair shook his head at his own pathetic musings. He knew better than this. Daine didn't see any class of people as better than anyone else and it was only his desperation to be worthy of her that made him think things like that.

He realized he should probably get dressed to meet with Jon. The king would want to discuss the barrier and plan for the inevitable attacks of the immortals. _Daine will fight and could be killed if I'm not there._ That was rubbish as well. She was quite capable of taking care of herself. He was looking for an excuse to be near her and he didn't have that right. He felt threatening tears gathering in his eyes. He pinched the bridge of his nose and stubbornly refused to let them fall. He hated to cry.

He washed up, combed his hair, and cleaned his teeth. He began to get dressed numbly, trying not to allow the feelings to run away with him. That small part of him that still wanted hope tried to argue again. _Fourteen year old girls are betrothed to nobles your age all the time. That's a bigger age difference with a younger bride. _It was true. Marriages like that were arranged quite often, but the girls were usually unhappy and _am I really thinking of marriage?_ The realization stunned him. He had avoided the topic for so long. He knew he had toyed with the emotions of many ladies of court. He almost always attended the first night of the mid-winter celebration when the eligible ladies were presented at court. He had slept with far too many to be considered a reputable man. He never once considered actually marrying them. But he would marry Daine if that were somehow an option. He could picture loving her for the rest of his life – which would inevitably be a shorter stretch than she had left. He was arguing in circles.

If he were to try to propose to her, she would surely laugh at him. If she didn't, would such a match ever be accepted? He thought to the jokes George had made as Daine tried to care for him. _"When a pretty girl is willin' ta let ye' lay in her lap, I say go with it." _Maybe George would accept them. Would Alanna? And then he wondered about Onua, Jon and Thayet. Jon probably wouldn't. Jon had once ordered him to look after Daine like she was his own child. Jon definitely would not like the age difference. And Lindhall, the teacher he so greatly admired, would surely not like this situation. _I'm her teacher. It would be taking advantage of a relationship that is never meant to be like this._ He wasn't sure why he was thinking about all of this anyway. It could never happen.

Then that small part of him asked, _What if she already loves you?_ If that were true then he could – it would make this alright. But she mustn't be fooled or coerced. He couldn't let this show at all. She would have to let him know somehow and until that time he would have to keep it all locked inside. Of course, he knew that she would never show him any such affection. _How could she?_ If somehow she had fallen in love with him, she wouldn't want to say anything. It wasn't an accepted practice for the woman to take the lead in love. Daine was an exceptional woman, but was still very bound by her upbringing. If there were such feelings she would never let him know. But he needed some kind of hope to cling to and it was all he had.

He walked to his credenza and picked up the gifts that he had purchased for Daine. Though they were packaged, he could picture each one. He had purchased a crossbow for her from the Raven Armory. The Raven Armory was widely regarded as the best weapon maker in the country. Everything they sold was expensive and to warriors, knights and pages, it was coveted goods. There was a small package – a sapphire drop necklace to match the earrings he had given her last year. The third package was a book. The expensive tome was a rare edition on birds of the world. Even the number of gifts was unusual. He should probably save at least one of these gifts for later, but he couldn't bare the thought of not giving them to her. He had wrapped gifts for his other friends as well, but only one gift for each. He had to give her the crossbow. He had all but told her about it. He supposed he should hide the others – stuff them in the same safe where he would have to seal his feelings away. If he told her he loved her she would feel obligated to return the sentiment. So that would never be said out loud. It was a secret that he could not even tell a mouse because Daine would eventually find out.

A knock at his door rescued him from dark thoughts. When he opened it, she stood there, as beautiful as ever, smiling in spite of the events of the morning. She carried her bow and a crate of wrapped gifts with one arm and balanced Kit on her hip with the other. "Happy Mid-Winter!" she said enthusiastically. "Though I'm not sure -- should say 'happy'?" An ironic smile danced on her lips.

"Hello." It's all he could say. He tried not to stare.

"Are you alright?" she asked, eyes filled with concern.

"Worried," he answered. It wasn't an outright lie. Thankfully, Kit no longer sparkled when someone fibbed.

"It's alright, Numair. We can handle anything as long as we face it together."

The words stung his already aching heart and still he thought, _It is no wonder that I've fallen in love with you._ He said nothing.

"Jon wants us to meet in his study. He will probably dispatch us in a hundred directions so I brought you your mid-winter gifts now." She handed him two packages and he smiled slightly. It would be alright if he gave her two as well. He would send the sapphire anonymously, although she might think it was from Perin. He kept the frown internal.

"Happy mid-winter, Magelet," he responded. They were empty words. He handed her the wrapped book and crossbow and gave Kit a small package too which the dragon immediately ripped into. Daine helped her put the chain around her neck and she trilled making the crystal light up. Meanwhile, Numair packed gifts for other friends in a crate and asked, "Is it alright if I open these at the meeting or did you want me to do it now?"

"Now," she answered with a warm smile that nearly brought him to his knees.

He sat and quietly opened the packages. The first was a book on ancient magic that looked very old. The second was a rolled piece of parchment. When he stretched it out it was a constellation map for the winter solstice. "Magelet, these must have cost a fortune. I can't – you can't spend this much on me." The guilt that had plagued him all morning rose to a crescendo and he hated himself for every affectionate hug and touch that had encouraged her to buy such extravagant gifts.

"Don't be a dolt. I barely spend money on anything all year. Onua takes good care of me. And you haven't forgotten that I got a purse for my role in ridding Carthak of Ozorne. The king was very generous. _And_ I expect you to point all those constellations out for me, if not tonight, then someday."

He couldn't help but smile. "I love them. Thank you."

She ripped into her own packages, oohing with delight at the Raven Armory box and handling the book with reverent silence as she examined it. Her face spoke volumes. She looked at him like he was the most precious man in the world. It left him feeling both elated and pained. When she stood and walked to him, he didn't know what to do. "Thank you," she said very sincerely and kissed his cheek. Their eyes met and he pushed the desire to pull her into his arms away with regret. This was the most he could allow himself. He didn't even dare kiss her cheek in return for fear he would not stop there.

"We need to go," he said softly. "I'm sure there is much work to do."

"I'm sure you're right," she answered.

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THE END


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